Digi-Destiny
by Aynslesa
Summary: Strange dreams plague the Digi-Destined, and a new adventure begins.
1. Temple of the Ancients

Digi-Destiny #1

TEMPLE OF THE ANCIENTS

Chapter One 

"Hey, Matt! Matt!"

Yamato Ishida, aka 'Matt', looked up just in time to see his younger brother come racing towards him. "Hey, kid, what's the hurry?" he asked, slipping his harmonica into his jeans pocket. 

T.K. grabbed his brother's hand and tried dragging him back in the direction he just came from. "Genni showed up again. Tai wants to talk to all of us."

Matt stood up. "Genni? What's he want this time?"

T.K. shrugged. "I don't know. I wasn't there. Agumon was, though, and he seems scared about something."

__

Agumon, scared? Matt thought. _What did Genni tell them?_

The two brothers walked quickly back to the campsite, where the rest of the Digi-Destined (and respective Digimon) were assembled. Agumon was sitting next to Tai, and both of them looked less than pleased.

"What happened?" Matt whispered to Sora as he sat down. Sora shrugged. "They wouldn't say until you got here."

"Well, I'm here now. What's up?" He looked at Tai expectantly. 

Tai glanced over at Agumon, then focused his attention on the group. "Genni showed up again," he said. "Apparently, he had a message for us."

Izzy frowned. "A message? How exactly?"

"Someone -- Genni wouldn't tell us who -- wants us to go to a place called the Temple of the Ancients. According to Genni, this person is also sending a map via Izzy's computer. How they've managed this, Genni doesn't know." Tai glanced again at Agumon. "Agumon here thinks it's a trap, actually."

"Has to be," Agumon muttered. "No sane person would go willingly to the Temple of the Ancients. No good Digimon would ask someone to go, either."

"I've heard of the Temple of the Ancients," Gabumon spoke up. "But I don't know what is so bad about it."

"Legends about the Temple are passed throughout the Koromon villages," Agumon replied. "They say it's an evil place, one where an unspeakable horror occurred. And they say that it's guarded by the fiercest Digimon ever." He started chewing on his claw. "They even say there's a Dracomon inside."

Each Digimon gasped.

"What's a Dracomon?" Joe asked nervously.

"Dracomon is an extinct species of Digimon," Gomomon said. "No one's sure how they died out, but there certainly weren't any when I was hatched. They were long gone by that time."

"Well, they can't be too extinct if there's one living in this Temple," Mimi said.

"So, let me get this straight," Joe said. "Genni wants us to go to the Temple of the Ancients to meet some unknown person who's sent us a map, and in this Temple is a bunch of fierce Digimon including an extinct Dracomon."

"And there are various traps along the way," Agumon added.

"Great," muttered Joe. "We're doomed."

Izzy was already tapping away at his laptop. "There's an e-mail," he said. "If I can upload the graphics, the so-called map should reveal itself to me in a matter of nanos."

"And just how many nanos is 'a matter'?" Tentomon wondered, peering over his friend's shoulder.

"About two and a half hours, at least. This is an unknown program that I'm downloading."

Tai sighed. "Well, we don't have to decide right now. I say we all sleep on it, then vote tomorrow."

"Preferably after breakfast," Mimi added.

"Agumon and I will take the first watch," Tai continued, ignoring Mimi's comment. "See you guys in the morning."

"'Night, Tai. 'Night, Agumon." One by one, the Digi-Destined and their respectable Digimon drifted off to sleep -- minus, of course, Tai and Agumon. 

Tai leaned against the trunk of a tree and listened to a soft hum.

And apparently Izzy and Tentomon.

Chapter Two

"How's it going?" Tai asked Izzy approximately two and a half hours later.

Izzy was still clacking away at his computer. "I think I've almost got it -- yes! It's a map all right. But I can't recognize any of the features. There are a few familiar objects, but I'm not sure if they're correct or not. The positions are all wrong."

Agumon tried to look at the screen. "Maybe there's something wrong with the computer."

"Don't even think about it, Agumon," Izzy warned before the Digimon could get close to the laptop. Agumon pretended to pout, and Tai put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Anyway -- hey! What's this?"

"What's what?"

"It's some sort of signal on the map," Izzy replied. "This map is tracking something."

"Can you find out what it is?"

"I can try." Izzy began typing again. "But I don't know if I can do it before I lose the signal."

"Just keep at it," Tai said. Then he yawned. "I better wake up Joe. It's his and Gomomon's turn for watch. Come on, Agumon."

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__

Matt glanced around the cave. "What's going on?" he wondered. "What's happening? Where am I?"

Something moved in the shadows behind him. "Gabumon?" He turned around and tried to focus on the person behind him. 

It wasn't a person -- at least, not in the normal sense. Matt blinked. It was a Digimon, but no Digimon he'd ever seen before. "Who are you?" Matt demanded. "Where's Gabumon? Where're the others?"

"Gabumon?" the Digimon asked. "He's fine. So are the others. And as for who I am -- you may call me Cobramon."

Suddenly Matt woke up. "Whoa," he whispered. "That was weird." He shook his head, rolled onto his side, and fell back asleep.

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__

"Help! Help me!"

"Biyomon!" Sora shouted, pushing her way through the thick jungle forage. "Biyomon, where are you?"

"Help me!"

Sora burst through the trees, her crest and digivice glowing brightly. She spotted her Digimon friend struggling in mid-air, with a hoard of Flymons surrounding her. "Biyomon, Digivolve!"

The crest glowed brighter at the command, but Biyomon didn't react at all. "Sora . . . what's going on?" A Flymon dove down and attempted to take a swipe out of Biyomon's head. The Bird Digimon just barely dodged.

Then three Flymons turned towards Sora. She tried to run, but she couldn't move. The lead Flymon took aim with its stinger . . . 

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a gigantic tail slammed into the Insect Digimon . . . 

Sora found herself looking up at a huge Digimon, unlike any she'd ever seen before.

"Don't worry, Sora," the Digimon said, her voice calm and soothing. "I, Dragumon, will protect you."

Sora's eyes sprang open. "Biyomon," she whispered. She looked frantically around the group of her companions, and finally spotted her friend where she always was . . . right next to her. "It was only a dream." Sora laid back down, and quickly fell asleep.

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__

T.K. was scared. He'd never been more scared in his life. Patamon was gone, and so was Matt. He was all alone.

"Patamon?" he whispered, his voice shaking. "Matt?"

There was no answer. The youngest of the Digi-Destined couldn't hold back -- he started to cry.

Suddenly something wrapped itself around him. He couldn't see what it was, but it was warm and soothing. Gentle. "Don't cry, little T.K," a low voice said. "I'll always be here for you."

"Who . . .?"

"I am Mezzomon."

T.K did not wake up. Instead, he rolled onto his back and smiled in his sleep, even long after the strange dream had faded from his mind.

Chapter Three

"Kari, wake up. Kari. Kari!"

Kari Kamiya woke up with a start, and discovered not only Tai hanging over her, but Gatomon and Agumon as well. They were looking at her like she'd scared them half to death.

"What is it?" she mumbled, trying to wipe the sleep from her eyes. She'd barely been with the group a month, but they weren't cutting her _any_ breaks. 

"You were having a nightmare," Gatomon said, her expression full of worry. "You were thrashing around a lot -- almost knocked T.K. into a tree." Kari sat up and looked at her friend, who was still asleep. 

"Of course, my brother can sleep through anything," said Matt, who was currently on watch. 

"It was a strange dream," Kari admitted. "I wouldn't exactly call it a nightmare, but . . . does anyone know what a Avimon is?"

Gatomon, Gabumon, Tentomon, and Agumon all started at the name. "What -- where did you hear that from?" Gatomon asked nervously. 

Tai frowned. "What's with you guys? All Kari asked was a simple question."

"There was something called Avimon talking to me in my dream," Kari explained. 

"That's strange," Matt cut in. "I had a dream, too -- only instead of Avimon it was something calling itself Cobramon."

Gabumon looked at his friend. "Why did you not tell me this?"

Matt shrugged. "We've all had some pretty peculiar dreams since this whole thing started. I didn't think much of it."

Izzy, who had heard the whole conversation, said, "There's no Avimon or Cobramon in the Digifiles."

Tentomon and Agumon exchanged glances. "Of course not," Tentomon said hesitantly. "Avimon and Cobramon -- they've been dead for years."

"In fact, the last Avimon and Cobramon also traveled with that guy we were talking about earlier -- Dracomon," Agumon added.

That was when the group realized everyone else was beginning to wake up. It was Sora who spoke first. "What about Dragumon?"

"And Mezzomon," T.K. cut in.

"I was talking to Laciomon," Mimi added.

"Don't forget Katrimon," muttered Joe. 

Everyone looked at Izzy. "I didn't fall asleep," Izzy said defensively.

Patamon sighed. "It doesn't matter," he said. "The only one we're missing is Imagimon."

"I don't get it," Tai said. "Who are these Digimon? And are they all extinct?"

Chapter Four

"It's an old Digimon legend," Agumon said. "Even the youngest Digimon know it."

"According to the legend," Gatomon began, "these eight Digimon were some of the most powerful to ever exist in the Digiworld. They were unique for several reasons -- one was that they had the power to Digivolve at a moment's notice. Another was that they were the only ones of their kind. There were no others. Three, they weren't born from a Digiegg."

"What's so unique about the Digivolving?" Matt asked. "You guys do it all the time."

"Yes, but we need your help," Gabumon said. "These eight didn't have any help. It was just a natural occurrence for them."

"So what happened to them?" Izzy asked.

Tentomon sighed. "No one really knows. Like we said earlier, there are rumors that Dracomon still lives inside the Temple of the Ancients, but as to where the other seven disappeared to -- there's no actual proof that they ever existed. So no one knows."

"I think it's time we had another talk with Genni," Tai suggested. "Izzy, do you think you could contact him."

"Just give me a few minutes." 

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"We've got a problem."

"What sort of problem?"

"Someone's contacted the Digi-destined."

"So?"

"They're on their way to the Temple of the Ancients."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. And they've been having the dreams."

"How many?"

"Seven of them, so far. The last one hasn't had a chance to sleep yet."

"Make sure he doesn't. I worked to long to imprison the Desti-Digimon. If the Digi-destined find them . . ."

"I know, sire. What would you like me to do?"

"I think a visit to the Temple is in order."

"What about Dracomon?"

" . . . "

"Sir?"

"Just do it."

"Yes sir."

Chapter Five

"Genni, are you sure you don't have any idea who sent that e-mail?" Tai asked the floating projection in front of them.

"I wish I did, but no -- I have no knowledge of who it was. All I know is that it was an urgent message," Genni answered. "Have you downloaded the map yet?"

"Yes," Izzy said. "But nothing looks familiar."

"Hmm. Well, it's possible that it's an old map. I'll send you a newer version, and you try to sort it out. At any rate, it shouldn't be too hard to locate the Temple of the Ancients. Every Digimon knows about it."

"So we've noticed," Joe said.

"One more thing," Genni said, "When you reach the Temple, it might be a good idea to have Tai go in first -- without Agumon. Make sure your crest is visible, Tai."

"Why?"

The projection began to shimmer. "Just take my word for it," Genni managed to say before he vanished.

Mimi looked up from where she was sitting on the ground. "Well, that was helpful," she said. "Do we have to go?"

"Yes!" everyone else shouted.

"Okay, okay, you don't have to shout."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One Hour Later . . . 

"Oh, great. I think I just broke a nail."

"Shut up, Mimi," Matt growled. 

"How much further?" 

"We don't know, Mimi," Joe said, exasperated.

"Well, will there be food when we get there?"

"I have no idea, Mimi!" Tai said, his patience finally broken. Ever since they'd started out all Mimi ever did was complain. It was getting on everyone's, even Palmon's, nerves. "Will you just _be quiet_ for a few minutes?"

". . ." said Mimi.

"Thank you."

Suddenly Izzy stopped. "Hey, Tai?"

"What?"

"I think we're here."

Chapter Six

The eight Digi-Destined and their respective Digimon stood in front of the entrance of a large, foliage-covered stone temple. It looked something like a cross between the Egyptian pyramids and the ancient Mayan temples. If you didn't know exactly what to look for, you'd pass right by it. Izzy almost had. Without the map they would've completely walked by it.

"How did we get here so fast?" Sora asked. "From the looks of that map, it should've taken us several days."

Izzy studied to map again. "This map is very old. I bet the geography of the DigiWorld has changed drastically since it was made. Or maybe there's some other explanation."

"Is this the right temple?" Matt asked. "You can never be sure around here, you know."

From deep within the temple, an echoing roar could be heard. A chill ran down Joe's spine. "Um, maybe Matt's right. Maybe this isn't the right Temple. We should probably keep moving."

"Come on," Tai said, walking towards the temple. Agumon was right behind him. "We'll be all right if we stick together."

"Or we'll be all dead," Joe muttered.

"Don't be so pessimistic," Gomomon chastised. "It'll be fun."

"That roar did not sound like _fun_," Joe pointed out. But he hurried after the others when he realized they were all following Tai.

The entrance to the temple, which was fortunately on ground level, was blocked by a large stone slab. "Oh, well," Joe said, still trying to get out this situation. "I guess we'll just have to turn around."

"Tai?" Agumon looked at his friend, who was just standing there. It was as if he hadn't even noticed the stone. "Tai?" 

"Tai!" Sora hissed, grabbing his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Tai blinked rapidly and shook his head. "Sorry. I was just . . . never mind. It's nothing."

"We're locked out," T.K. said. "What do we do now?"

Tai looked at the stone. "There's something hidden under these vines," he muttered. He reached out to move them aside, and when he touched them, he felt his hand hit smooth rock. "Hey, these are painted on!" he said, surprised. He started to remove his hand . . . when the rock beneath it started to glow.

"What's going on?" Kari asked, taking a step back.

Beneath his shirt, Tai's crest began to glow a brilliant yellow. The stone blocking the path became the same startling shade of yellow. Then, in front of everyone, the stone melted away into nothing. Tai stood there, his arm still outstretched, with his mouth hanging open in shock.

"That," Izzy said, "was weird."

"I have to agree with that one, Izzy," Tentomon said in the same awed tone.

From inside the Temple, the same drawn out roar echoed in the children's ears. 

Tentatively, the sixteen travelers stepped inside. Unknown to them, the minute they were through, a wall of molten lava shot up from the ground, cooled, and once again blocked the entrance.

Also unknown to them, a seventeenth person had slipped inside as well.

Chapter Seven

"I can barely see anything in this place," Tai commented as he led the group through the temple. "Why is it so dark?"

"It appears that we're moving down," Izzy said. "That would explain for the decrease in light."

__

Rooooaaaaarrrrrr!

"There it is again," Matt said unnecessarily. "That's what, the fifth time we've heard that sound?"

"And each time it gets louder and louder," Joe said nervously. "Maybe we should turn back."

"Aw, come on, Joe," Gomomon whined, "where's your sense of adventure?"

"Hey, Tai's the once with the crest of courage, not me."

Sora stopped suddenly, and Kari and Biyomon almost ran into her. "Did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Tai turned around, just barley making out Sora's face in the dimness. "The only thing I heard was Joe complaining."

"Uh oh." 

"What is it, Agumon?"

"Look." The Digimon pointed ahead of them. Sure enough, the tunnel branched out into two separate shafts -- both leading down, but in two opposite directions. "Which way?"

Another roar.

"That sounded like it was coming from the left," Joe said. "I think we should go right -- away from the sound."

"But what if that sound is really from a friendly Digimon?" Izzy wondered, "and he needs our help?"

__

Rooooaaaaarrrr!

"Does that sound like a 'friendly' Digimon to you?" Tentomon wondered. 

"Not to me," Mimi said, shuddering. "I agree with Joe."

Tai sighed. "We'll split up. Four of us, and assorted Digimon, go left, the rest go right."

"I'm going right," Mimi and Joe said simultaneously.

"Well, I'm curious," Izzy admitted. "I'd like to find out what's down the left tunnel."

"So would I," Tai agreed. "Sora? What about you?"

Sora and Biyomon glanced at each other. "Left," they said.

"That leaves you three," Tai said, looking over at Matt, T.K. and Kari. It was automatically assumed that Gabumon, Patamon, and Gatomon would go with their partners.

Kari looked uncertainly down the left tunnel. It was clear that she was torn between going with her brother and going where she thought it would be safer. Mimi noticed this. "Kari, if you want, you can come with Joe and me. I'm sure Tai wouldn't mind. Would you, Tai?"

"Huh?" Tai looked at Mimi, confused. "Oh." He shrugged. "It's your decision."

Kari looked relieved. "Thanks, Mimi," she said, walking over to the older girl.

Matt looked at his brother. "T.K, why don't you and Patamon go with Kari, Mimi, and Joe?"

"I want to stay with you," T.K. said automatically.

__

Rooooaaarrrrr!

Patamon inched closer to T.K. "Come on, T.K -- I think Patamon wants to go right."

T.K. glanced at his Digi-partner. "Will you be okay without me, Matt?"

Sora hid a smile. T.K. made it sound as if Matt was the one who needed looking after. _Well, maybe he is_, she amended, recalling a few situations when Matt could be, well, _difficult_.

Matt was trying not to smile, too. "I think I'll be okay."

T.K. nodded. "Okay, then. Patamon and I will go right. Be careful."

"I'll take good care of your brother," Gabumon said.

"Come on, you guys!" Tai said impatiently. "Let's get going."

And so, the two groups split off. Tai, Agumon, Sora, Biyomon, Matt, Gabumon, Izzy, and Tentomon went left, while Joe, Gomomon, Mimi, Palmon, Kari, Gatomon, T.K., and Patamon went right.

Chapter Eight

"Is it just me, or is this place getting darker?" Matt wondered as his group walked down the tunnel. "I can't see a thing."

"Just keep walking forward," Tentomon advised. "The tunnel is pretty clear, but you never know."

Izzy readjusted the straps on his computer. "It's also getting warmer."

"Yeah," Tai agreed. "A little too warm. How far down do you think we are?"

"I don't know," Izzy said. "We've been walking for almost an hour since we split off from the others."

Tentomon flew a little closer to Izzy. "It looks like the tunnel widens out further on. There's a large cavern up ahead."

"And light," Sora added. 

Izzy stopped. "That's not just light, that's fire!"

__

RRROOOOAAAAARRRRR!

"Looks like we found our 'friend'," Tai said nervously. "He must be in that cavern. I guess we can't go any further."

Matt nodded. "Come on. Let's go find --"

"IS SOMEONE THERE? WHO ARE YOU?" The voice was loud, but that could've been due to the echoing from the cave.

"Come on," Sora said. "Let's get out of here."

"WAIT! IF SOMEONE IS THERE, CAN YOU HELP ME?"

"It could be a trap," Gabumon said, and Biyomon nodded in agreement.

Tai narrowed his eyes. "Why should we help you?" he shouted around the corner.

"PLEASE. I'VE BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR SOMEONE TO ENTER THE TEMPLE. I WILL TELL YOU MY STORY, IF YOU FREE ME FROM THESE CHAINS."

"Who are you?" Agumon demanded.

"YOU DON'T KNOW ME? IT MUST BE LONGER THAN I THOUGHT."

"No one's been in this Temple for over a hundred years," Izzy said. "What's your name, and how do we know we can trust you?"

"MY NAME WILL TELL YOU BOTH, FOR I AM THE DIGIMON OF COURAGE. I AM DRACOMON."

"Dracomon?!"

Chapter Nine

Almost cautiously, the eight moved into the large cavern -- and stopped dead in their tracks.

In the middle of the cavern was a huge Champion Digimon. He was about the size of Kabuterimon, and resembled a large dragon. His skin was a deep red, like lava, and when he moved the light from the torches flickered off of him and made his scales sparkle brightly. His wings, which were pressed tightly to his body, were large enough that unfolding them would bring a wingspan larger than Birdramon's. His eyes were a crystal green, his claws razor sharp. And printed on his side was a yellow marking -- and exact replica of the mark on Tai's Crest.

That was the first thing they noticed. The second was that Dracomon was chained to the floor and unable to move. 

He couldn't move his head because of the neck chain, so he couldn't look at them, but he could speak. Now that they were in the same room, his voice didn't seem as loud and foreboding. So while Gabumon, Agumon, Tentomon, and Biyomon went to work attacking the chains with their attacks, Dracomon told his story.

"One hundred years ago, I was imprisoned here by an evil Digimon named Muertamon. He was one of the worst. He wanted nothing more than to destroy all the good Digimon, but one thing stood in his way -- the Desti-Digimon, and the Digi-Destined.

"The Digi-Destined were a group of eight children from another world, and the Desti-Digimon were their Digimon partners. There were eight of us: me, Dragumon, Imagimon, Laciomon, Katrimon, Mezzomon, Avimon, and Cobramon. All of us were Champion Digimon -- we couldn't remember what it was like to be Training or Rookie. 

"But Muertamon eventually proved too powerful for the Digi-Destined, and destroyed them. Before they died, the Digi-Destined created four keys of their power, so that Muertamon would be unable to use it. Key 1 was the Digivices, Key 2 the Tags and Crests, Key 3 were us, the Desti-Digimon, and Key 4 were the Desti-Weapons. They scattered these keys all over the world."

"So they tied you up here?" Sora asked.

Dracomon shook his head slightly. "No. That was Muertamon. After the Digi-Destined were destroyed, my friends and I vowed to get revenge. So we went after Muertamon ourselves. But we were weakened, and had no strength to Digivolve to the next level. He outsmarted us and sealed each of us away in different sections of the Digital World. And that brings me up to speed. How are the chains coming, friends?"

Agumon send one more Pepper Breath at the neck chain, then said, "You're free."

Dracomon shook himself to get rid of the chains, then unfolded his wings and stretched luxuriously. "I don't know how to thank you," he said, turning around. "I'd also like to know how you got in. No Digimon -- oh, goodness. You're human."

He looked at Tai, who's crest was showing and glowing slightly. "A Digi-Destined?" he murmured. "A lot has changed. And you three, are you also Digi-Destined as well?"

Sora, Izzy, and Matt nodded and pulled out their tags and crests. "Love. Knowledge. Friendship. Four of eight." Dracomon actually sat down then. "Phew. Sorry. This is all a little strange."

"There are more of us, but they went down another tunnel," Tai said. 

Dracomon nodded. "That tunnel leads to the outside. I know a shortcut. You can tell me your story as we walk. It would be quicker if you rode on my back."

"Good idea."

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"What do you mean, 'Dracomon has escaped!'? It was your job to make sure that he _didn't_! Now those little brats are closer to the Ultimate Power. They've already got the Digivices and the Crests, Dracomon's sure to tell them about the Desti-Digimon and the Weapons." 

Batmon shook uncontrollably. "Please forgive me, O Great Muertamon. I'm but your humble slave. The Digi-Destined split up, and I could only follow one group."

"And did you follow the one of Courage?"

Batmon shook his head.

Muertamon growled deeply. "You IDIOT! Once they meet up again, they're sure to go after Dragumon! The last thing I need are the Digimons of Courage and Love joining forces again!

"I'm giving you one more chance. Make sure they don't get past the Temple grounds."

"Yes sir."

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"So let me get this straight. You've gone up against Devimon, Etemon, Myotismon, and the Dark Masters, you've saved the Digital World and your own world, you've managed to find the Eighth Child and her Digimon, you've tracked down the Tags and Crests, and you're Digimon can Digivolve to the Mega Level? You're been busy." Dracomon tossed his head and turned so he could look at his passengers. "You're certainly living up the originals."

"So we weren't the first Digi-Destined?" Izzy inquired.

"Far from it. Like I said, there were eight before you. I don't think they were from the same world as yours, but definitely from one that shared similar traits. They were older, too."

"Your friends?"

Dracomon sighed. "Things were different back then. I don't really know if you'd call us _friends_ -- more like partners. When they died, it was sort of our obligation to avenge them. Let's just say they didn't click with us the way you have with your Digimon partners."

As this sank in, the four friends looked at each other.

From around corner voices could be heard.

"Hey, that's Kari and T.K!" Tai said suddenly. "And Joe and Mimi!"

"The rest of your group?" 

"That's right," Tentomon said. "Maybe we should talk to them before we show up with you. Your roars had them pretty spooked."

Dracomon chuckled, then bent down so they could slid off. "Very well. Just tell me when to come out."

Chapter Ten

"Matt!" T.K cried when his brother stepped into view.

"Tai!" Kari ran forward and threw her arms around her brother's waist. "Where have you been? We were worried!"

"Actually, I thought you could take care of yourselves -- OW!" Joe glared at Gomomon, who was giving him his best innocent look. "What was that for?" He rubbed his ankle.

"Did your tunnel lead outside too?" Mimi asked, walking over to them. "Ours did."

Tai and Agumon looked at each other. "Not exactly. We kind of ran into the guy who was making all that noise earlier."

"Did you have to fight him?" Kari asked.

"No," Sora said, shaking her head. "Actually, he turned out to be very nice. He just didn't want to be chained up anymore."

"Chained up?!"

"Who was it?" Gatomon asked. "Did he tell you his name?"

"He can tell you himself," Izzy said. "We brought him back with us."

At that moment, Dracomon stepped around the corner of the building. "So, these are the rest of the Digi-Destined. Pleasure to meet all of you."

Joe, Kari, T.K, and Mimi stared at the huge Dragon Digimon in surprise. It was Kari who first noticed the symbol on Dracomon's side. "Hey, that looks like Tai's crest."

Dracomon nodded. "I'm the Dracomon, the Digimon of Courage. My powers are shared with the Crest of Courage."

"Are you a friendly Digimon, Mr. Dracomon?" Mimi asked uncertainly.

"Last time I checked," he said. "I haven't really been around too many people to be sure, though." He winked at Tai. "Think you can still trust me?"

"Sure we can trust you, Dracomon," Tai said. "Since you're the Digimon of Courage, and I have the Crest of Courage, I should know, right?"

Dracomon nodded. "That sounds reasonable. Oh look -- it's beginning to get dark."

Joe pointed to a clearing behind the Temple. "We can set up camp there."

"Good idea," Matt said. "Let's go."

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__

A couple hours later . . .

Dracomon is still awake, and keeping a watchful eye over the sleeping Digi-Destined -- minus Izzy. "Why don't you get some rest?" he suggested.

Izzy looked up from his laptop. "I'm not tired. Actually, I'd like to hear more about the original Digi-Destined, if you don't mind. What did you mean when you said you didn't click with them?"

Dracomon sighed softly. "It's a long story."

"I love long stories," Izzy said.

"Very well. It was roughly a hundred years ago when the first Digi-Destined came to the Digital World. They possessed strong abilities and amazing powers, and when combined with us Desti-Digimon, they were almost unbeatable. 

"Then along came Muertamon. Now there's a Digimon you never want to cross. You think Devimon and Myotismon were bad? Muertamon was everything they were, twice as powerful, and ten times more evil. He had a side-kick, Batmon, who was the most annoying little pest ever created. Naturally, Muertamon wanted to rule the world. We tried to stop him. It didn't work."

"You've already said this part," Izzy said. "But why didn't it work?"

"One thing I sensed right away with you and your Digimon was that the two of you were a team. Am I right? Tentomon will do anything for you and you will do anything for Tentomon. That is what enabled him to Digivolve for the first time, correct?" Izzy nodded. "You were in danger. Well, for the eight of us, Digivolving came naturally. We could do it whenever we felt like it. Eventually, we grew to enjoy and accept our Champion forms, until it seemed like they were the forms we were born with.

"When the Digi-Destined came along, we were able to become Ultimate and Mega. But they never really respected us, and in the end that proved to be their greatest mistake. My friend Imagimon, the Digimon of Knowledge, was known to have visions of the future every once in awhile. He had sensed from the start that Muertamon was bad news, and that there was no way we could beat him without obtaining the Ultimate Powers first. But Shigeru, my so-called partner, wouldn't hear of it. He refused to go look for the Ultimate Powers. I don't know why. Then we did something awful. We split up. The Desti-Digimon refused to go with the Digi-destined, and the results were, as you can guess, disastrous." Dracomon hung his head in shame. "Even though Shigeru and I never got along, his death struck me. I think that under different circumstances, we might have been able to be friends. I had to avenge him."

"That's why you went after Muertamon youself!" Izzy said. "Because you were ashamed of what you had done!"

Dracomon nodded. "Yes. Unfortunately, when the Crests were created, our powers to Digivolve beyond Champion no longer existed, and Muertamon defeated us. I haven't seen my friends for a hundred years. I don't even know where to begin to look."

A rustling in the bushes caught there attention. "Who's there?" Dracomon demanded, standing up and towering over Izzy. 

A figure stepped out of the bushes. "Hello, Dracomon. It's been awhile."

Dracomon's eyes narrowed. "Destrucmon."

Chapter Eleven

**__**

Destrucmon is a bounty hunter who switches sides at the drop of a hat. You never know if he'll attack you or destroy you, but watch out! His Bomb Blast can wipe out whole forests in a single attack.

"What's the matter, Dracomon?" Destrucmon sneered. "Not happy to see me?"

"By the tone of your voice, I can guess you're not here for a courtesy call," Dracomon growled. "Who sent you?"

"A pest named Batmon, but he's paying good money. Rumor has it he's buddy-buddy with Muertamon," Destrucmon said indifferently. "My orders are simple -- I'm not to let you or the Digi-Destined leave this place alive."

While the two of them talked, Izzy managed to wake up the others. They were now watching the exchange.

"Get out here before I send you out myself!" Dracomon snarled. "These children are of no importance to _you_."

"You're weak, Dracomon," Destrucmon said, laughing. "You couldn't hurt a fly on the wall now."

"I'm warning you . . ."

"Warning me? That's a laugh." He grinned wickedly, the yellow slits in his eyes becoming even slimmer. "Just stay still, and this'll be over quickly." He pulled a dark sphere out from seemingly nowhere. "Try a Bomb Blast, why don't you?" The bomb ignited at the words, and he hurled it straight for the encampment.

"Fire Shield!" The commander came out of nowhere, and a large wall of fire burst out of the ground, deflecting and disintegrating Destrucmon's attack. Dracomon laughed. "What was that about being weak?"

Destrucmon stared at the Desti-Digimon. "Batmon never said you could cast a shield! This isn't worth the bounty! I'm outta here!"

Dracomon stopped him with one claw. "Just a minute. Are you sure it was Batmon who sent you?"

Destrucmon nodded. "Oh, definitely. He wanted you occupied while he took care of other business. Something about an underwater cave and a dragon."

Dracomon gasped. "I don't have time to deal with you, Destrucmon. Now get out of here before I Flame Whip you out!"

Destrucmon took the opportunity to run for his life.

"You let him go?" Mimi asked, confused.

"No time for him," Dracomon said hurriedly. "Unless I missed my guess, Batmon's headed for the Caves of Ai. We need to get there first, and that means the nearest beach. Everybody onto my back -- it'll be quicker if we fly."

"What's happening, Dracomon?" Tai asked.

"Nothing good, Tai," he said, "nothing good."

Chapter Twelve

"Can we go a little slower?!" Joe shouted over the sound of Dracomon's wings flapping as fast as they could go. "I don't do well at top speeds!"

Dracomon answered, "If we slow down we might not make it to the Caves of Ai before Batmon and his goons. And trust me, if they get there first there'll be nothing we can do about the consequences!"

"What's at the Caves of Ai?" Tai asked. 

"One hundred years ago, when the Digital World looked much different then it does today, there were eight sacred points, each forming a pointed end of an eight-point star. One was the Temple of the Ancients, another was the Caves of Ai. Then there was Infinity Mountain, the Golden Sphinx, the Forest of Tears, the Old Coliseum, the Crater of Ken, and the Mirage Lake," Dracomon said. "I believe that each of my friends, the Desti-Digimon, are trapped within these eight points _somewhere_."

Biyomon, Palmon, and Gatomon looked at each other. "But those places are all just legends," Gatomon said.

"Like the Temple of the Ancients was a legend? Like _I_ was a legend?"

"I get your point," Matt agreed. "So, where are these Caves?"

Dracomon sighed. "So much has changed, that I'm afraid I don't know. The sacred places no longer create an eight-pointed star."

"So how do we find them?" Mimi wondered.

"We depend on the same thing that led you to me," Dracomon said. "You say a map was given, but what really told you this was the correct temple to look in? My cries must have frightened you."

"It was my Crest," Tai said. "It must have sensed you."

Dracomon nodded. "So all we have to do is let the next crest guide us," he responded. 

"But which crest?" Kari asked worriedly. "How do we know?"

"Three things clue us in," Dracomon said. "One: only two of the Desti-Digimon are Water Digimon. Two: For some reason, Muertamon is in a hurry to get to this Desti-Digimon, so it would have to be a powerful Digimon. Three: the place itself -- the Caves of Ai."

"And the answers . . .?" Tai asked, frowning.

Izzy looked thoughtful. "Hmmm. A water Digimon, and one that would be powerful. But aren't all of you Desti-Digimon equal?"

"Yes," Dracomon said. "But if two Digimon of the same roots band together, they can be nearly unstoppable." Hearing the kids' confusion, he continued, "Each of you are different, right? Agumon is a Dinosaur Digimon, Gabumon is a Canine Digimon, Biyomon is an Avian Digimon, Palmon is a Plant Digimon, Gomomon is a Seal Digimon, Tentomon is an Insect Digimon, Patamon is a Rodent Digimon (sorry, Patamon, but it's true) and Gatomon is a Feline Digimon. But what happens when Gatomon and Patamon digivolve to the Ultimate level?"

"They become Angemon and Angewomon," T.K. said. Then he grinned. "They become _Angel_ Digimon!"

"Exactly," Dracomon confirmed. "And their power is extremely great when they work together. Now, as of now only one Desti-Digimon is free. Me. So why would Muertamon be after this other one unless . . ."

"He's a Dragon Digimon," Izzy finished.

"She, actually. And since Laciomon is a Whale Digimon, that leaves only one possible match: Dragumon, the Digimon of Love."

Sora's eyes widened. "Dragumon was the name of the Digimon in my dreams," she breathed. "She really exists?"

Dracomon nodded slightly. "Yes, she really exists. We must now depend on _your_ crest to get us through this, Sora. We _must_ get to Dragumon."

Sora nodded. "Then we better hurry."

Kari pointed down to the ground. "Hey, there's a beach down there, and a bunch of Digimon!"

Dracomon looked down, then groaned. "All right, here's where the trouble begins. That's Batmon down there, which means the Caves of Ai must be off this coastline somewhere. Many of those Digimon are good at hearing, so we must be very quiet. 

"This is not going to be easy, my friends."

Will Batmon beat the Digi-Destined to the Caves of Ai? Will the Digimons of Love and Courage _finally_ be reunited after a hundred years of seperation? Will Joe and Mimi ever stop complaining? Find out all this and more in Digi-Destiny #2: Love Conquers All -- coming soon.


	2. Love Conquers All

Digi-Destiny #2 

LOVE CONQUERS ALL

Chapter One

Dracomon hovered silently over the ocean. 

"Judging from the map Gennai sent us," Izzy said, "the Caves of Ai should be about one hundred miles off the coastline. The only thing is, we have no way of knowing _which_ point this is based off of. We're going on a hypothosis here, everyone, and it's not very educated at all."

"Which of you can swim?" Dracomon whispered so as not to alert the Digimon moving below them.

"Gomomon can," Joe said. 

"But I'm not much for underwater, even as Ikkakumon," Gomomon added. "Why?"

"We're going to need one heck of a distraction," Dracomon said. "I know a secret way to the Caves of Ai, but I'll need someone to get those Digimon away from there. Then Sora, Tai, and I go in -- alone."

Agumon and Biyomon protested vehenemately. "Why can't we come, too? Sora and Tai need us!"

Tai understood was Dracomon was getting at. "The less that go in, the better. We need Sora to find the actually cave that we need, and Dracomon's only at half power without me. So the three of us go in while the rest distract Batmon and his goons.

Biyomon looked at Sora. "They're right, Bi," she said. "There's no need to risk you all. This could be dangerous."

Dracomon began outlining the plan. "Once you're all Digivolved, start attacking with everything you've got. Shake it up a bit. Then the three of us will head for the caves. Once we're in, back off. Got it?"

Everyone nodded. Dracomon snorted loudly, causing wisps of smoke to raise from his snout. "All right. Do it now. Digivolve!"

The eight Digivices went off as each was activated.

"AGUMON DIGIVOLVE TO **GREYMON!**"

"BIYOMON DIGIVOVE TO **BIRDRAMON!**"

"GABUMON DIGIVOLVE TO **GARURUMON!**"

"PALMON DIGIVOLVE TO **TOGEMON!**"

"GOMOMON DIGIVOLVE TO **IKKAKUMON!**"

"TENTOMON DIGIVOLVE TO **KABUTERIMON!**"

"PATAMON DIGIVOLVE TO **ANGEMON!**"

"GATOMON DIGIVOLVE TO **ANGEWOMON!**"

"Angemon, Angewomon -- take the other Digi-destined to safety first," Dracomon ordered. "Then cover us."

"Right," the two Angel Digimon said.

"Be careful, Tai!" Kari called as the six of them were carried to safety.

"**Harpoon Torpedo!**" 

"That's our queue!" Dracomon flapped his wings once, twice. "Hang on tight!" Then he folded them back and dove straight for the ocean surface.

Chapter Two

Just seconds before Dracomon would've slammed into the water -- and since he was a Fire Digimon this wouldn't have been good -- he shouted, "**Fire Sheild!**" The Shield encased the three in a large flaming bubble. The flames immediately died out the minute they hit the water, but the air bubble was still there. 

"You two okay?" Dracomon asked.

Sora and Tai looked at each other. "Yeah, we're fine," Tai said. 

"You could've warned us a little, though," Sora muttered. 

"I told you to hang on," Dracomon said, shrugging indifferently. "Well. It looks like the distraction's working. Come on -- this bubble won't hold up forever, and the Caves of Ai are still a ways away."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"**Electroshocker!**"

"**Meteor Wing!**"

"**Howling Blaster!**"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"I don't think those Digimon are liking this much," Matt said, laughing. "Look at them, running around like they're being cursed or something. What a sight!"

"No one beats our Digimon!" T.K said, grinning. "Hey, do you think Dracomon, Tai and Sora are all right?"

Matt nodded. "Definitely. Dracomon'll take care of them. And if something happens, Birdramon and Greymon will know."

T.K nodded. "Good." He focused on his own Digimon. "Go Angemon! Get him!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How much further?" Tai asked Dracomon as they moved through the water. The Fire Dragon Digimon was having a hard time maintaining his shield, and his claws weren't made for the ocean. But he wasn't giving up.

"I'm not sure," Dracomon said. "I think -- wait a second. Look up ahead. Do you see something?"

Sora and Tai peered through the dark water. "I can't tell," Sora said.

"Hold on." Dracomon took a deep breath. Then, "**Flame Whip!**" A brilliant streak of fire emanated from Dracomon's mouth, lighting up the water in front of it before extinguishing into hot steam. The flash was just long enough for them to see the cave opening. 

"Is that it?" Tai asked, an edge of excitement creeping into his voice. "Is that the Cave of Ai?"

"We'll know soon enough," Dracomon answered. "If memory serves me correct, there's a large suction current directly inside the entrance that'll shoot us up to the underground chambers. It's dry, so we won't have to hold our breath. Sora, better have that crest ready."

Sora clutched her crest tightly. "I'm ready."

"Okay." Dracomon pushed out with his claws and shot through the opening. Immediately, the current grabbed them and pushed them upward. Tai and Sora gripped Dracomon's scales tightly as the suction pressed against the Fire Shield.

Then the suction was gone, and Dracomon broke through the water's surface. The whole trip had taken about five seconds, and now the three of them were floating in a large lagoon somewhere deep inside the cave.

On the far side was a large stone slab, identical to the one that had been covering the Temple entrance. Only there was one big difference.

This slab was broken in half, and the entrance stood wide open.

Chapter Three

Izzy's computer suddenly started beeping. "Tai?" Izzy asked when his friend's face appeared on the screen.

"It's me," Tai said. "Listen. We're in the Caves of Ai, so you can stop the diversion. But I think we may need some back-up down here first. It looks like someone beat us to Dragumon."

"I'll contact Gennai and see what we can do," Izzy offered, "but I doubt we'll be able to reach you right away. After all, none of us are very well built for underwater traveling."

Tai nodded. "Keep in contact, okay? I just wanted to let you guys know what the three of us are up to."

"Of course," Izzy said in agreement. "Bye."

"Bye."

Tai's face disappeared.

"Was that my brother?" Kari asked, looking at Izzy. "I wanted to talk to him!"

Izzy shook his head. "Sorry, Kari, but they've got a minor crisis down there. Some of Batmon's goons beat them to the Caves, so now we need to figure out some way to get down there. I promised Tai I'd contact Gennai." He quickly turned back to his computer, leaving the others to talk.

"We better bring in the Digimon," Joe said. "Ikkakkumon!" 

As suddenly as they had begun their attack, the Champion Digimon ceased firing and turned back to their partners, who were thankfully shielded from the enemy Digimon back a thick blanket of fog. 

"What's going on, Matt?" Garurumon asked as he trotted up to his friend. "Any news from Dracomon and the others?"

Matt quickly filled the eight Digimon in on what Izzy had told them. Just as he was finishing up, Izzy turned to them. "Bad news, guys," he said.

"What?" Joe asked, groaning. "Can things possibly get any worse?"

"Well, maybe," Izzy admitted. "Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

"Give us the good news."

"None of our Digimon are built for underwater travel, and we basically have no way of getting to the Caves of Ai from where we are."

"That sounded more like bad news to me," Mimi commented, and Togemon nodded (as well as a giant cactus could nod) in agreement.

"What's the bad news?" Matt asked, not certain if he wanted to know.

"The bad news is that there's a group of unidentifiable Digimon heading in this direction, and they've apparently spotted us!" Izzy cried.

"_What?"_

"We better get out of here!" Birdramon said unnessessarily, and a little too late.

From out of the fog, a hoard of tall, lanky green Plant Digimon launched themselves out at the Digi-destined. 

Chapter Four

__

These creeps are **Vinemon**. They may not look like much, but those vine-like arms of theirs are poison-tipped. Their **Poison Dart** attack is lethal.

"EEK!" Mimi screamed, hitting a dangerously close Vinemon with her purse. "Get it AWAY!"

"**Needle Spray!**" Togemon shouted, showering the Vinemon with her needles. Several of them stuck . . . and were absorbed into the Digimon's bodies!

"Whoa!" Matt shouted, diving behind Garurumon's leg. "What happened?"

Garurumon fired a Howling Blaster at the next group. "Those Vinemon just absorbed Togemon's Needle Spray!" he said. "They had no effect! **Howling Blaster!**"

"**Hand of Fate!**" Angemon's attack came straight from the sky, the one place where the Vinemon apparently couldn't wait. 

"Master Batmon has ordered your destruction," snarled one of the Vinemon to Matt, who now stood in front of T.K. Kari was crouched down behind Izzy, who had dove behind Greymon. 

"Kabuterimon!" Izzy shouted. "Get us out of here!"

Another Vinemon laughed. "You're flying friends will be somewhat busy for awhile."

"Huh?" Izzy looked up just in time to see a hoard of Flymon come buzzing out of the fog. "Look out!" he shouted as one of the Flymon shot his stinger at the Digimon. 

From somewhere near the water, Ikkakkumon and Joe were fighting off a _third_ type of Digimon, a Walrus Digimon called Tuskmon. 

**__**

Tuskmon usually wouldn't hurt a flea, but ever since Muertamon came into power, these guys haven't exactly been passive. The **Tusk Crunch** can cause huge chunks of rock and ice to break off from the main structure. It would be very bad to meet up with them in the Antarctic. 

"**Harpoon Torpedo!**" Ikkakkumon shouted. "Joe, get on my back!" 

Joe was already climbing up Ikkakkumon's fur as fast as he could. "I'm trying, I'm trying! Hey --!" he shouted as a Flymon dive-bombed him. "Where'd they come from?"

Garurumon, Greymon, and Togemon burst out of the fog and appeared suddenly next to Ikkakkumon. A trio of Vinemon were behind them, most having been squashed by the weight of the Champion Digimon. But the Flymon were overhead, and the Tuskmon were closing in.

"Let me go!" T.K shouted as a Vinemon grabbed a hold of him and Izzy. 

"T.K!" Matt shouted. "Garurumon!" 

A beam of blue light shone from the Crest of Friendship, and enveloped Garurumon. 

"Garurumon digivolve to **WereGarurumon!**"

From somewhere above them, a purple glow surrounded a Digimon. The fog was too heavy to make out who.

"Kabuterimon digivolve to **MegaKabuterimon!**"

The Vinemon suddenly dropped their captives. "Uh oh," the leader said. "Let's get out of here!"

"What are you, Chicken Digimon?" a Tuskmon shouted. "Get them!"

"Yeah!" cried the Flymon.

Then . . . 

"**Wolf Claw!**"

"**Horn Blaster!**"

"**Hand of Fate!**"

As WereGarurmon, MegaKabuterimon, and Angemon made short work out of the remaining evil Digimon, the others de-digivolved back to their Rookie forms and joined the others. A minute later, Patamon, Gabumon, and Motimon appeared in the group.

"How did they find us?" Kari asked uncertainly, sitting on the ground next to Gatomon.

Matt shook his head. "I don't know. But I think we better find a way to Dracomon, Tai, and Sora. I think they're going to need _a lot_ of help."

"I'll contact Gennai again," Izzy said automatically.

Chapter Five

Meanwhile . . . 

"So, Dracomon," Tai said as the three crept along the dimly lit corridor. "Who exactly is this Dragumon person?"

Dracomon closed his eyes momentarily. "Dragumon is a Water Dragon Digimon. Her Champion Attack is the Waterspout, and she's known as the Digimon of Love. The two of us met when we were newly Championed, shortly before joining with the other Desti-Digimon. We instantly hit it off, and have been best friends ever since. 

"In fact," he added, a sad note creeping into his voice, "the first time we were ever seperated was when Muertamon banished us to the Sacred Points."

"I have a question," Sora said suddenly. "How do we know for certain that the Caves of Ai are where Dragumon is kept? For all we know, it could be a decoy."

Dracomon and Tai stopped. "You know, she has a point," Tai said. "And her crest hasn't glowed at all. Mine glowed the minute we stepped up to the Temple of the Ancients."

"Did it glow when the Temple came in sight, or when you approached the door?" Dracomon asked.

"The door," Tai and Sora said simoultaniously.

Dracomon glanced behind him. "And this door was already open," he murmured. "Yet still . . ." Realization suddenly dawned on him. "Quickly! Tai, Sora, we must hurry! We haven't much time!"

"What?" Sora gasped as Dracomon broke into a fast stride. "What's going on?"

Dracomon barely slowed his stride. "We've been assuming it was Batmon who opened this cave, but the cut on that door was too clean! There's a definite chance that it could be someone else!"

"Who?' Tai demanded. Then his eyes focused on something in front of him. "Dracomon, look out!"

Dracomon hit the brakes immediately, slamming his heels into the ground and skidding to a stop. Tai and Sora were thrown forward on his back, and Tai just barely managed to grab Sora before she fell off the Dragon Digimon. 

Dracomon took no notice of this. He was too busy staring at the figure in front of him.

"Well," the figure said, "Dracomon."

Dracomon narrowed his eyes. "Kaede."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm sorry, kids, but it's impossible for you to get to the Caves of Ai," Gennai said for the fifth time. "Now, you may be able to try contacting Tai and Sora, but that's about all."

"Gennai, we don't have _time_ for any of that!" Matt protested. "Those Vinemon and company didn't just attack us for nothing."

Gennai sighed. "There's really nothing I can do about it."

"What about Ikkakkumon and Garurumon? They can swim," Mimi said suddenly. "Right?"

"But they can't hold their breath that long," Izzy pointed out. "Actually, I'm surprised Dracomon could."

Gennai's eyes widened. "The Digimon of Courage? You didn't tell me you knew about him."

"We not only know about him, we've met him!" T.K said proudly.

"Oh dear," Gennai said. "You do know what's kept in the Caves of Ai, don't you?"

"Dragumon," Izzy said. "Right?"

Gennai nodded. "That's what the legends say. Which means there's going to be trouble. Muertamon has the power to resurrect people, and turn them over to his side."

"So?"

"So he's managed to resurrect the one person who can control Dragumon," Gennai said. "I didn't tell you this sooner because I didn't know you had released the leader of the Desti-Digimon, but Muertamon has brought Dragumon's original Digi-partner back to life."

"Another Digi-Destined of Love?" Izzy exclaimed. "Awesome!"

"She used to be the Digi-Destined of Love," Gennai corrected. "But now, with Muertamon's influence, she's changed. 

"Now, she's the Digi-Destined of _Hate_."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What's the matter, Dracomon, not happy to see me?" Kaede mocked. 

"You're dead," Dracomon said matter-of-factly.

"Was," Kaede corrected. "But thanks to Muertamon, I'm back and better than ever!"

"Muertamon!" Sora gasped. "You work for him?"

"Who are you?" Tai demanded.

Kaede looked at Sora. "Well, they certainly didn't waste anytime with finding a replacement," she sneered. "First my digivice, then my crest, and now I suppose you're after my digimon as well, right? Then I have a newsflash for you, girlie. You're too late."

"What do you mean, _your_ crest?" Tai asked. "Dracomon, who is she?"

"This is Kaede," Dracomon said, staring hard at the young woman. "The original Digi-Destined of Love."

Sora gasped.

"That's right!" Kaede said brightly. "But I revoked that title. I now come with a new set. A new Digivice, a new Crest . . . and a Digimon all of my own." She held out a dark crest. "Meet the Crest of Hate."

Tai laughed. "We could beat you anytime," he boasted. "Right, Dracomon?"

But Dracomon wasn't agreeing. "Who is your Digimon?" he asked in a low voice.

"Why, I would've thought it was obvious," Kaede said, grinning. "But I might as well introduce you. Dracomon, meet . . . _Dragumon_."

From behind Kaede, a new player emerged into the game. 

She was slightly smaller than Dracomon, but what she lacked in size she obviously made up for in strength. Her scales were a deep blue, her talons sharp and deadly, her feet slightly webbed. Her ears were large and resembled a Japanese hand fan, and her tail was almost fourteen feet long, topped by a forked triton head. This Digimon was obviously a Water Digimon, and she could have almost been related to Dracomon.

Except the mark on her side matched Kaede's crest, and her eyes were dark red.

"Hello, Dracomon," Dragumon said in a low, silky voice. "We meet again."

"Dragumon," Dracomon whispered. "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like?" Kaede demanded. "She's following orders. Dragumon works for Muertamon now."

"They've corrupted you!" Dracomon said to Dragumon. "You can fight it!" 

"I don't _think_ so," Dragumon countered. "I happen to _like_ this."

"It's the Crest of Hate talking," Tai said. "This can't be the real Dragumon."

Dragumon laughed. "It _is_ the real me. This is just the side of me that no one's seen before. While these feelings would never power of the Crest of _Love_, they charge the Crest of _Hate_ to full power!"

"Dragumon," Kaede said, her voice hard. "Destroy them."

"Tai. Sora. Get out of here." Dracomon's voice was firm. "There's a tunnel to the top about fifteen feet to the right. It's like the suction tube we went through in the water. Use it."

There's was no arguing with the Digimon of Courage. Tai and Sora ran.

"Master?'' Dragumon looked at Kaede.

"Leave them," Kaede said. "For now. Dracomon is the target."

"Right." Dragumon turned towards the other Dragon Digimon. "Well, you know what they say, Draco. All's fair in love and war. 

"**Waterspout!**"

Chapter Six

A loud explosion knocked the Digi-Destined off their feet. "What was _that_?" Joe exclaimed. "It sounded like it came from directly underneath us!"

"It did."

"Tai!" Kari cried when she saw her older brother pulling himself out of a hole in the ground. Sora was right behind him. 

"We're right above the Caves of Ai," Tai said, running towards them. "We had somewhat of a nasty surprise down there. There was this girl named Kaede, and she was originally --"

"The Digi-Destined of Love," Matt cut in. "Gennai filled us in. Did you get Dragumon? Where's Dracomon?"

"Well, we found Dragumon," Sora replied, "and Dracomon's still in the cave."

"But?"

"It seems Kaede beat us to our target," Tai answered.

Matt smacked his forehead. "Oh this is just _great_."

"Where are they now?" Izzy asked.

"They were below us," Sora said.

"Not anymore!" Mimi shouted. "Look!"

Miraculously, the fog had cleared, and the group now had a clear view of the ocean in front of them. They also had a clear view of Dracomon and Dragumon shooting through the surface of the water, spreading their wings, and locking themselves in one-on-one combat with each other.

"**Waterspout!**" Dragumon shouted.

"**Fire Shield!**" Dracomon easily blocked the attack, and dodged as she tried to take a slice out of his neck with her claws. Dragumon growled in frustration, and Dracomon dodged another attack. 

"Why isn't he fighting?" Joe wondered. "He should be fighting."

In a flash, Tai realized what was happening. "He's afraid to fight her!" he gasped. "Dracomon doesn't want to hurt Dragumon!"

"**Waterspout!**"

"It appears she doesn't share his sentimentalities," Izzy said unnessessarily. "If he keeps up with this, he'll lose in no time. She isn't slowing down."

"We have to help up!" Sora cried. 

"Greymon!" Tai shouted.

"I'm on it, Tai!" Tai's crest began to glow, and Agumon was surrounded by a brilliant gold light. "Greymon digivolve to . . . **MetalGreymon!**"

"Birdramon!" 

"Birdramon digivolve to . . . **Garudamon!**"

The two Digimon hurried towards where their predesssors were fighting -- or, rather, where Dragumon was kicking Dracomon's butt. 

"Dracomon!" MetalGreymon called as they neared.

Dracomon noticed the Ultimate Digimon moving towards them. "Stay out of this, you two!" he snarled. "You don't know what you're getting yourselves into!"

"Sorry, friend," Garudamon said. "This is _my_ terrain you're fighting on now."

Since Dracomon knew she was right, and there was no way he could stand against two Ultimate Digimon, he just said, "Don't hurt her too much, okay?"

His companions nodded.

"Go get her, MetalGreymon!" Tai shouted from the ground.

"You can do it, Garudamon!" Sora added enthusiastically.

"Go Dracomon!" the others chimed in.

"Three against one?" Dragumon sneered. "I _like_ those odds."

"Now!" Dracomon shouted. "**Flame Whip!**"

"**Giga Blaster!**"

"**Wing Blade!**"

The three attacks flew towards Dragumon simoultaneously. "**Water Sheild!**" She managed to dodge the Flame Whip, but the Giga Blaster and Wing Blade proved too much, and the Dragon Digimon was hit in the side. "ARRRGGGH! **Waterspout!**"

The attack had been weakened, however, and she no longer held the power to fight against two Ultimate. "Damn you, Dracomon!" she cried as she flapped her wings earnestly. "I'm not done yet!" Her voice dripped with hate, and Dracomon winced at the thought of hearing her talk like that.

"Give it up, Dragumon," Garudamon said. "It's over."

"Not yet!"

From somewhere down on the ground, Kaede's voice rang out over the others. "Dragumon, hear me and obey! DIGIVOLVE!"

A aura of black surrounded the injured Water Dragon. Dracomon's eyes widened. "Oh, no."

Her wings doubled in size, and split apart into three sets. Her tail was covered by a dark metal shield, and the tritoned fork became massive drill. Her head was covered with a similar metal, so that only her eyes showed, much like MetalGreymon's covering. Her claws grew and her spine twisted, making her stand erect. 

"Dragumon digivolve to . . . **DevilDragumon!**"

Chapter Seven

"She's gone Ultimate!" Dracomon shouted. "Everybody, watch out!"

"**Devil's Torch!**" A ball of hot magma shot out her mouth, hurtling towards MetalGreymon and Garudamon.

"**Fire Shield!**" Like Dragumon's attempts at blocked the Ultimate attacks, Dracomon's shield had zero effect. The Devil's Torch hit MetalGreymon and Garudamon, sending them both hurtling towards the ground. Sora and Tai just managed to catch a weary Yokomon and Koromon before they hit the ground. 

DevilDragumon's gaze followed the fall of the young Digimon, and she caught sight of the group huddled below her. 

"That's right," Kaede hissed from her hiding place. "Destroy the Digi-Destined while you have the chance. Go, my loyal puppet."

Dracomon realized too late what DevilDragumon was planning on doing. "No," he whispered. 

"**Devil's Torch!**"

"TAI, LOOK OUT!" Dracomon folded his wings and pushed himself into a straight dive, hurtling at top speed to get between Taichi Kamiya and DevilDragumon's Ultimate Attack. "I'll never make it," he realized. Then he narrowed his eyes. "But I've GOT TO TRY!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tai stood frozen, looking at the magma ball. The others were trying to get out of range, but Tai couldn't take his eyes off of it. "Tai, come on!" Matt shouted. "Sora!"

Sora had run up to Tai. "Tai, we have to move," she said, tugging on his hand. "Come on, or we'll all die!"

But Tai didn't move.

"TAI, LOOK OUT!"

Suddenly, Tai's crest began to glow brighter than it had ever glowed before. Several feet above them, a similar glow surrounded a flying shape.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Master?" DevilDragumon whispered. "What's going on?"

Kaede was frozen. "I don't believe. After a hundred years -- it starts.

"The Keys of Courage are being joined."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Suddenly Tai and the others were no longer concerned with the Devil's Torch. It had been enveloped by the gold glow in the sky and been incinerated. "Tai?" Kari asked. "Who is that?"

"Is that . . . Dracomon?" whispered Joe.

"I believe that would be a safe assumption," agreed Izzy.

"He's digivolving!" Yokomon gasped.

"I've never seen a digivolve go like this before," remarked Gabumon. "Are you sure he's okay?"

From deep within the glow came a rumbling voice. 

"Ladies and gentleman, humans and Digimon . . . heeeeeerrrrreee's **FIRIOMON!**"

Chapter Eight

The new Digimon burst out of the gold light. His scales were a fiery red and orange. The wings held a span of fifty feet, and appeared to be made of fire, although if one looked close they could make out the individual feathers. A metal shield covered his chest and forelegs, and two more covered his hinglegs, leaving his underside and back exposed. His tail was coiled and ready, with dagger spikes on the very end, as the scales disappeared and it became as smooth as molten lava, and from his head grew a great mane of fire. 

And shining bright gold from his side was the symbol of Courage.

"It's Dracomon!" Kari gasped, noticing the symbol. "He's changed!"

"He's an Ultimate Digimon now," Izzy said, bringing up the Digifile. "His name's Firiomon, and he's no Digimon to be messing with. Like his previous form, he retains the skill Fire Shield, but his Ultimate Attack is the Bonfire."

"But how did he digivolve?" Joe wondered. Then he answered his own question. "Because the Desti-Digimon don't need a crest or digivice to Digivolve."

"But Tai's Crest glowed," Sora argued. "Then Dracomon digivolved."

"I think," Izzy mused, "that it's been so long since Dracomon digivolved to Firiomon -- it's obvious he'd done it before or there wouldn't be a profile -- that he needed a little boost. That's where the Crest of Courage came in."

No one argued with Izzy.

Instead, they all watched the battle take place in the sky.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DevilDragumon stared at Firiomon. "You think you're tough, don't you? Ha. You know you won't hurt me."

Firiomon fixed his flaming gaze on her. "When I was Dracomon and you were Dragumon, you resembled my friend too much. But this . . . _creature_ . . . you have become now bears no resemblance to Dragumon's Ultimate form. I will have no qualms about destroying you."

"I _am_ Dragumon's Ultimate form, you imbecile!" DevilDragumon roared.

"No," Firiomon said, shaking his head. "You are Muertamon's twisted idea of Dragumon's Ultimate form. You are a creation of Hate. A replacement because the real one did not work out."

"Shut up!" screamed DevilDragumon. "You haven't any idea what you're talking about!"

"Neither," spoke Firiomon, his voice never wavering, "do you. I will now destroy you, for what you have done to Dragumon."

"Not today! **Devil's Torch!**" 

"**Bonfire!**" A circle of fire formed in front of Firiomon's head, and enveloped the Devil's Torch, siphoning the energy from it. Then, with a roar, Firiomon sent it flying towards DevilDragumon.

She never even saw it coming.

There was a brilliant flash in the sky, and everyone covered their eyes. When they were finally able to look up at the sky, all they saw was a tired Firiomon gliding down to the ground.

"Firiomon de-digivolve to . . . **Dracomon**," he whispered wearily. Then Dracomon collapsed onto the ground.

Chapter Nine

"Dracomon!" Tai shouted, running over to the fallen Digimon. "Are you all right?"

Dracomon slowly opened his eyes, and caught sight of Tai and Koromon looking worriedly down at him. "Hello, Tai," he said weakly. "I'm fine. Don't worry. That just took a bit more out of me than I imagined it would." The others ran up a second later. "Are all of you all right?"

"Nothing a good night's sleep wouldn't cure," Joe said. "Seriously. Maybe it's time we started making camp, now that all the excitement's over. We can't stay here, though."

"Why not?" Dracomon asked. "There's no Digimon within miles, aside from us. Trust me," he said when he saw the skeptic looks on the Digi-Destined's faces. "Go set up camp. I'll be there in a minute."

The others nodded. Tai glanced once more at Dracomon. "Are you sure you're fine?" Dracomon nodded, and Tai and Koromon followed the group.

Sora and Yokomon stayed behind. "Do you want to talk, Dracomon?" Sora asked, sitting down next to him. "About what happened, I mean."

"I know what you mean, Sora, and thanks," Dracomon said. "Really, though, there's nothing to talk about."

"Dracomon."

He looked at her. _She's so much like Dragumon_, he thought. _It must be the Crest._ "Tell me, Sora -- did I do it? Is she gone for good?"

Sora frowned and thoughtfully fingered her Crest. "I don't know," she finally said honestly. "I really don't know."

"I don't think so," Yokomon said suddenly. "Even though Dragumon was being powered by the Crest of Hate, I still feel a connection to her. She's still out there -- somewhere -- and there's still some of her old self left. Next time, we'll get her back."

"Next time . . ." whispered Dracomon. He looked out over the water. _There will be a next time, my love_.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

__

They beat me, thought Kaede. _I don't believe it. Damn that Firiomon!_ Growling in frustration, she slammed her fist into the trunk of a near-by tree. _At least Dragumon came out of that in one piece_. She looked over at the slumbering Digimon. 

"Kaede."

Kaede froze, and turned around. "Master," she said, bowing her head in respect. "What orders are you bringing me today?"

"You and Dragumon will be going after the Digi-Destined once more," Muertamon's voice spoke from the shadows. "You will play the part of decoys."

"We have yet to regain all our strength, Master," Kaede said. "Surely we can wait a few days --"

"NO!" Muertamon shouted. "The Gathering must take place as scheduled. The time of the Third is at hand. Mamoru is on his way to Infinity Mountain as we speak. You must make _certain_ Dracomon and his folly do not make it there first."

__

Mamoru? That fool? "Understood, Master," Kaede said. "Dragumon and I will move out immediately."

"There will be three of you on this task," said Muertamon. "One more will join you."

"Who?"

A young man stepped out of the shadows.

"Me."

Who is this mysterious young man in the shadows? What's at Infinity Mountain? Will Dracomon get his second chance at reuniting with Dragumon? Find out in the next story: Digi-Destiny #3 _Friends 'Till the End_. Coming soon.

__

Words from the author: 

I have a feeling this story isn't as good as the first one. Sorry about that. I've been suffering from Writer's Block. I guarantee that #3 will be better, even if I have to take forever to write it. I will accept all reviews, good and bad, and if anyone has some ideas that might make the story better, I'd like to hear them. Thank you. -- AYNSLESA


	3. Friends 'Till The End

Digi-Destiny #3

FRIENDS 'TILL THE END

Chapter One

__

Dracomon stood on the edge of the cliff overlooking the Digital World. It was the highest cliff known, and when one stood on it, one could see almost everything. There was the Temple to the east, the Caves to the west, Infinity Mountain was directly north, south of him was the Forest, and scattered in between were the remaining points.

"Dracomon?" 

Dracomon turned to see Dragumon making her way up the steep slope. "Hello, Dragu," he said softly. "Were you following me?"

She smiled and laughed. "No. Actually, Avimon saw you and told me. She thought you were looking pretty down."

"So we decided to come and cheer you up." From behind Dragumon, Cobramon slithered into view. "Guess we're not doing a good job."

"My friend, when did you get here?" Dracomon asked, distinctly pleased. "I thought we'd lost you back in East Server."

"You almost did," Cobramon admitted. "But I had what one might call a change of heart."

"Everyone's assembled, dear," Dragumon said, nuzzling his shoulder softly. "We should get going."

Dracomon nodded, but he made no move to leave. For a few minutes, the Digimon of Courage, Love, and Friendship stood silently together, savoring the moments of peace. Then Dracomon sighed. "Come on," he said. "Dawn will come soon, and with it, the final battle."

Cobramon shook his head. "I'm still not sure this is a good idea, Dracomon."

"We must avenge our partners," Dracomon said.

His friend looked uncomfortable. "I suppose -- but Imagimon's had mixed feelings about this whole fight against Muertamon from the beginning. He's certain nothing good will come of this."

"I can only go by what my instincts tell me," Dracomon said. "I will understand if you back out of this, though. If either of you back out."

"Never," Dragumon said vehemently. "We're staying until the end."

"Yeah," Cobramon agreed. "'One for all, and all for one' as the humans say. You're not going to go off and get yourself killed alone."

Dracomon looked at them with admiration. They were obviously scared stiff, but they weren't going to let that stop them. "Friends 'till the end, right?"

"Right," Cobramon and Dragumon agreed. 

Dracomon's eyes snapped open. "What a dream," he mumbled, shaking himself awake. But the part that really got to him was that it _wasn't_ a dream -- everything he'd remembered had truly happened.

"What's the matter?" Dracomon looked over to see one of the Digi-Destined, Koushiro Izumi (who everyone referred to as Izzy), looking at him. "Bad dreams?"

Dracomon shook his head. "More like real memories," he said. "This whole thing is beginning to get to me. It's been a week since Dragumon, and I still can't forget about her." Feeling uncomfortable, he decided to change the subject. "Why are you awake? Tentomon's sleeping like a Digi-Egg."

Izzy leaned against a large rock. "I can't seem to fall asleep," he said. "For the past couple of week's, ever since the other's started having dreams about you and your friends, I've been unable to fall asleep long enough to really sleep. I haven't been able to dream or anything. It's almost like something is waking me up before I begin to dream."

Dracomon looked at him curiously. "Really? Hmm."

"What?"

"That's just reminding me of Imagimon," he said. "The Desti-Digimon of Knowledge. He used to get these premonitions, and just before each major premonition, he'd have a hard time sleeping. We always figured it was just him. Imagimon always was a peculiar Digimon. Nobody could really understand him."

"I know what that's like," Izzy muttered. He glanced at Tentomon. "For awhile, Tentomon was the only one who could even put up with me. Didn't Imagimon's partner feel the same way?"

Dracomon let out a harsh laugh. "Gen? No. He was too wrapped up in himself to really care about Imagimon. The only time he ever really acknowledged his presence was when he needed to use Imagimon's power for the Crest. The partnerships between human and Digimon back then were very different from the way they are today.

Izzy frowned. He'd assumed that the original Digi-destined had formed bonds with the Desti-Digimon similar to the ones he and his friends shared with their Digimon. But from the way Dracomon talked, it was almost as if he _resented_ the Digi-Destined of Old. This was something to think about.

Dracomon and Izzy fell silent. Neither of them fell asleep again that night.

Chapter Two

"You are really beginning to get on my nerves," Kaede growled. "They're right down there, in perfect attacking position. We can wipe them out now!"

Her companion shook his head. "No need. They haven't seemed to realize that our next target is Infinity Mountain. Besides, what if we were to attack and accidentally injure Dracomon? The Master wouldn't be too pleased with that."

Kaede rolled her eyes. "Just who do you think you are, Makoto? You can't tell me what to do."

Makoto spun around and glared at her. "Can't I?" he asked in a low, threatening voice. "I am the bearer of the Crest of Fear. Have you forgotten that? How would you like to be afraid of _me_?"

"I'm _not_ afraid of you," Kaede snarled. "And I never will be, you mark my words."

Makoto just shook his head, as if he couldn't believe what an idiot she was being.

"Will you both pipe down?" The two Inversed Digi-Destined turned to look at the newcomer. "Master Muertamon wants results soon, and the two of you arguing isn't helping matters much."

"Tell Master Muertamon," Kaede said tightly, "that Makoto and I will get results _when the time is right_. Until then, he'll just have to be patient."

"Besides," Makoto added, "shouldn't you be more worried about Mamoru, Batmon? After all, he's the one on his way to the next target."

Batmon heaved a sigh. "Actually, he's already acquired the target."

"_What?_" Kaede screeched. "And we're still standing here freezing our butts off? _Why?_"

"It appears our friend is being somewhat resistant to Master Muertamon's persuasions," responded Batmon. "He's going to need you to keep the Digi-Destined out of his way for a little while longer, just until he can . . . convince him that the side of the Inversed is the way to go."

Makoto looked thoughtful. "Does Master Muertamon want me to attempt to acquire Dracomon as well?"

Batmon smiled. "I'm sure he wouldn't object."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

__

Yamato.

Come to me, Yamato. Don't fail me. 

Come to me.

Matt sat up suddenly, breathing heavily. Dracomon looked over at him, startled. "Is something wrong, my friend?" Dracomon asked.

Matt shook himself, trying to wake himself up. "Just . . . it's nothing."

"A bad dream, perhaps?"

He shrugged. "Ever since this whole Desti-Digimon thing began, I've been hearing this voice in my dreams. It talks to me. But this time, it sounded . . . urgent. Like it needed help."

Dracomon frowned. "Help?"

Matt nodded, then laughed. "Pretty crazy, huh? A voice in my dreams telling me it needs help."

"Did this voice ever tell you its name?" 

Matt looked thoughtful. "I think . . . the first night, yeah. It did. That was the night we all had the dreams -- well, except for Izzy. I think it called itself -- some sort of snake."

Dracomon whipped his head around so that he was staring straight into Matt's eyes. "Cobramon?"

"That could be it," Matt murmured. Then he nodded. "Yeah, that's it."

"_Everyone, wake up right now!_" Dracomon roared. "_We've got a big problem!_"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Makoto, Batmon, and Kaede were startled by Dracomon's command.

"They know," Makoto whispered. "It's time, Kaede."

"I'll leave you two alone, then," Batmon said, slinking off into the shadows. "Don't let Master Muertamon down."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Kaede muttered mockingly. 

Makoto glared at her. "Remember the plan. You can have Sora and the others. But I want Taichi and Dracomon."

Chapter Three

"Dracomon, what's the problem?" Tai asked as he sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "I was having a fantastic dream about pizza, and then you started shouting. What is it? Dragumon again?"

Dracomon shook his head. "No, Tai. It's something else. It's . . ."

"Did you hear that?" T.K asked suddenly, looking up.

"Hear what?" Kari and Matt asked at the same time.

"Matt, get down!" Gabumon said suddenly as a fireball split through the air. The Digimon pushed his partner to the ground, barely missing getting fried on his own. 

The sender of the fireball looked down at the group. "Impressive, huh?" he asked with a laugh. "What's the matter, Dracomon? Surprised to see this?" He held up a large sword. "Well, you shouldn't be."

"Who is _that_?" Tai demanded.

"Watch your mouth, kid," another, more familiar, voice said. "You should show some respect to your elders."

"Kaede," Sora whispered, her eyes narrowing as the Inversed of Hate came into view."

"Ooh, so little Love's not a stupid as she looks," Kaede laughed. "You shouldn't have counted me out of the game so soon." She held up her own weapon, a crossbow, and smiled. "What do you think of my friend?"

"Dracomon, why don't you do the introductions?" the young man asked, looking at the Dragon. "You've probably guessed who I am already."

Dracomon let out a strangled gasp. "It can't be . . . Makoto!"

"The one and only!" Makoto said. "One time Digi-Destined of Courage, now the first Inversed-Destined of Fear. And believe me, I _earned_ that title."

"What do you want?" Tai demanded.

Makoto lost his grin. "If it isn't my replacement," he sneered. "What do I want? I want . . . you." He pointed his sword at Dracomon. "Time to come home, Draco." The sword began to glow so bright, it looked like flame. Obviously, this was where the fireball had come from. With a growl, Makoto slashed out at the group, and huge ball of fire shot from it.

"**Fire Shield!**"

Muertamon glared at the large Digimon. "Listen closely," he said, his patience beginning to thin. "I'm offering you a chance to be on the winning side of things. The offer was good enough for Dragumon. Mamoru assures me that you're a decent sort – that you know when a battle is won and lost."

The Digimon narrowed his golden eyes and at Muertamon and flicked his tongue. "You can't be serious," he said. "Mamoru never said a decent word about me in his life – why would he start now?"

"Well," Muertamon said, folding his hands and leaning forward, "I suppose you could say he's – had a change of heart." He gestured to the man standing against the far wall. 

"You," the Digimon said, his eyes widening. "But you're supposed to be dead."

Mamoru rolled his eyes. "And you're supposed to be frozen in the middle of Infinity Mountain. Looks like neither of us are doing what's expected of us."

"So you freed me. How? That's _not_ the Crest of Friendship you're wearing."

"Of course not. This is the new and improved Crest of Enemy," Mamoru said. "I've got everything – almost. The Crest, the Digivice, the Weaponry . . . all I'm missing is the Digimon. You."

"Not on your life," the Digimon snarled. "I'd sooner die than join forces with _Muertamon_."

"What a foolish little snake," a female voice said. "Can't you see this is all for the best, Cobramon?"

Cobramon's jaw dropped. "Dragumon?" he whispered, his voice quivering. 

"The one and only," Dragumon said in a low, silky voice, stepping into view. "I was just on my way out, Lord Muertamon – Kaede's calling for me – but I couldn't help but overhear our guest's complaints. Would you like me to talk to him?"

Muertamon nodded. 

"How could you?" Cobramon whispered. "How? This goes against everything we've ever stood by. You're the Digimon of Love – you _can't_ do this! These guys don't even know the meaning of the words we stand for!" His voice grew higher and more desperate with every sentence. He tried to slither towards her, but he was chained tight to the wall. "_Please_, Dragumon!"

Dragumon stepped closer to him. "Abandon this futile game, Cobramon," she murmured. "Join us. Become the Digimon of Enemy."

Cobramon stared at her. "You're not Dragumon," he growled. "The Dragumon I know is kind and caring. You act like her, but you're full of hate. You don't know anything about love, and you don't know anything about _me_."

Dragumon pulled back. "Have it your way." She turned away and sauntered towards the door. "He's all yours, boys."

Two Digimon stepped forward, each carrying a large electrical stick. Cobramon tried to move away, but they had him cornered.

His scream of pain could be heard for miles around, if there had been anyone to hear him.

"_DRAGUMONNNNNN!_"

Chapter Four

Dracomon dove in front of Tai and the other kids and just barely managed to block Makoto's shot. The Inverse-Destined of Fear clenched his fist and gripped his sword tighter. "Stay out of this, Dracomon," he ordered.

"Not on your life," Dracomon growled. "You don't control me anymore, Makoto, so just _back off_. Leave. Now."

Makoto and Kaede looked at each other. "I'm afraid you don't have much choice in the matter," Kaede said, holding her crossbow and keeping it trained on Biyomon. "By the way, Birdie – digivolve and you'll have several arrows in several different parts of your body. And it'll be very, _very_ painful."

Sora put a steadying hand on her friend's shoulder. "She'll do it, Bi – we'll just have to sit tight."

Matt took T.K and Kari's arms and pulled them behind a large rock that was almost completely shielded by Dracomon. "Stay here, you two," he said. "If those weapons start flying, I don't want you to end up on the wrong end of them. Don't get involved unless we need your help."

"Dracomon won't let anything happen to us," Kari said, looking at the large Digimon. "Right?"

Matt didn't say anything. 

"Kaede." Makoto motioned at Dracomon. "Shoot."

Kaede smirked. "You got it." Her crossbow bolt glowed a bright blue, and she fired.

Dracomon almost didn't see it. "**Fire** – arrrrgggghhh!" The arrow pierced the skin of his wing right at the main muscle, causing the wing to be rendered completely useless. His half formed shield fizzled and the sparks fell, and they ignited the grass around them. 

Tai stared at the flames. "Oh, great," he groaned. "Agumon, _digivolve!_" His Digivice went off, glowing bright gold and beeping loudly.

"Agumon digivolve to **Greymon!**"

"**Nova Blast!**" The large fireball was aimed directly at Makoto and Kaede. The shot was perfect.

"**Water Shield!**"

Dracomon, Tai, Greymon, Sora, and everyone else stared in shock as Dragumon appeared in the sky, easily blocking Greymon's attack. Kaede grabbed Makoto's arm and jumped up onto Dragumon's back. "See ya later, Digi-Destined!" she crowed at the three of them flew off.

"Dragumon!" Dracomon roared. He spread his wings and attempted to fly, but his shot wing was badly damaged and he couldn't get off the ground. 

"Dracomon, your wing," Gatomon said, pointing a claw. "Look."

He looked at his wing. The arrow was a solid blue-white, and whatever it was tipped with was slowly spreading beyond the wound. He nosed it gently, and pulled back when his nose went numb. "It's ice," he said, sounding shaken. "Very cold ice."

"Uh, guys, we should get out of here!" Joe called. "Look at the fire."

The fire Dracomon's destroyed shield had started was spreading rapidly, and the smoke was beginning to curl up into the air. Greymon, who was closest, stumbled back and started coughing on the smoke. 

"Dracomon's down and we need to move," Tai said, snapping into leader-mode. "We need flyers, and someone who can pick up Dracomon."

Immediately, digivices and crests started glowing.

"Tentomon digivolve to **Kabuterimon!**"

"Greymon digivolve to **MetalGreymon!**"

"Biyomon digivolve to **Birdramon** digivolve to **Garudamon!**"

Garudamon scooped Dracomon up into her arms and launched herself into the air. Tai, Kari, Gatomon, Matt, and Gabumon climbed up onto MetalGreymon, and Kabuterimon carried Joe, Mimi, Palmon, T.K, Patamon, and Gomomon. Garudamon and Kabuterimon managed to clear the smoke easily, but MetalGreymon had a hard time getting off the ground, and the smoke began to thicken around him. 

Matt pulled the collar of his shirt up over his mouth and nose. "Don't breathe the smoke, Gabumon," he said. "Everyone – press yourselves as flat against MetalGreymon's back as possible. The smoke is less likely to reach there."

"Get us out of here, MetalGreymon," Tai said hoarsely. 

The Ultimate Digimon flapped his wings and strained against the smoke. "I don't think I can go any higher, Tai," he groaned. "This smoke is getting too thick. I'm having trouble breathing."

"He's exhausted," Matt whispered. "That fight with the Inversed must have taken more strength than we thought."

MetalGreymon pushed against the smoke, but it was becoming thicker and thicker. "Where are the others?" Kari wondered. "I can't see more than three feet in front of me."

Suddenly MetalGreymon started shaking in mid-air. "MetalGreymon, what are you doing?" Tai shouted, then broke out into a fit of coughing. 

"I . . . can't . . . fly . . . anymore . . . Tai," MetalGreymon gasped. He began losing altitude. "I'm . . . sorry." Then, with a groan, he coughed one more time, and went limp.

This, naturally, brought gravity into effect. "Hang on, everyone!" Gatomon shouted as the larger Digimon began to fall.

Matt reached out and grabbed onto Gabumon. He could feel someone gripping the back of his shirt, but he didn't know what.

Suddenly the smoke thinned. Now they could see the ground . . . and it was way too close!

With a loud scream from Kari, MetalGreymon hit the ground with a loud _BOOM!_

"_Tai!_" Sora screamed. "_Tai!_"

"Where are they?" Izzy cried. "Where'd they go?"

"Matt, where are you?" T.K shouted. "Kari? Matt! _Matt!_"

While MetalGreymon's crew hadn't been able to see the other Digimon, Garudamon and everyone else had been able to see his shadow. And they'd all seen the shadow disappear. Unfortunately, no one knew what had happened or where they're friends were.

"We have to find them," Mimi gasped. "Something must have happened to them! They could be in trouble."

Kabuterimon shook his large head. "Impossible. The smoke's too thick. We have to wait for the fire to die out."

"By then it might be too late," Joe exclaimed. "We need to stop it. And then we need to find the others."

"What we need is water," Gomomon said. "But the only one of us who can shoot water is . . ."

"Gabumon," Izzy finished. 

Silence fell over the group.

They stared down at the burning island.

Cobramon woke up with a start. "What a dream," he whispered. Then he winced. The large burns on his sides were still stinging. He curled up as tight as he could without injuring himself further and thought the dream. It was a familiar dream. He'd been having a similar one. A young boy, tall, with blond hair and a self-assured smile. From previous dreams, he knew the boy's name was Yamato. But that was it.

But this dream had been different. This time, Cobramon had the feeling something had happened to Yamato. Something bad.

"I wonder." He whispered. "Is Yamato real?"

Chapter Five

"Ungh," Matt groaned as he sat up. "What a ride. Where am I? Tai? Kari? Gabumon?"

"I'm here, Matt," Gabumon said from over to the right. "Are you all right?"

Matt rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I think so." The memory of what happened came flooding back to him. "Tai, Kari, Gatomon, MetalGreymon! Where are they?" He winced as he shifted position. His wrist felt like it was on fire. "Aw, geez! Don't tell me I broke something!"

"Everyone else is fine," Gabumon said. "MetalGreymon managed to rouse himself long enough to make it so he'd get the full force of the fall – he's de-digivolved back into Koromon. And Tai, Kari, and Gatomon are okay, just a little scratched."

"Any sign of the others?" 

His partner shook his head. "It's possible they don't know where we are. The fire's still raging, but we managed to land just outside the smoke area. We're not quite sure where we are. We got all turned around in that smoke."

Matt nodded and massaged his wrist. "We better get to the others," he said. "Lead the way, pal."

The two walked toward the rest of the group, however small as it may have been.

"Honey, I'm home!" Makoto crowed as he and Kaede walked into the main chamber of Muertamon's stronghold, with Dragumon stepping daintily behind them. "Hey, Batty, how's our friend doing?"

Batmon looked at the sleeping form of Cobramon. "He's still in chains, so it's pretty obvious that we haven't made much progress. He's still being loyal to the Crest of Friendship. Until we can show him otherwise, we may not be able to cure him of it."

"So what's the plan?" Kaede asked, eyeing the Snake Digimon cautiously. 

"We get rid of the problem." Mamoru walked up to the other two. "Makoto. Kaede."

"Hello, Mamoru," Makoto and Kaede said simultaneously and sounding much like they'd both just bitten into a gym sock that'd been left in someone's locker on a very hot day. "What do you mean, 'get rid of the problem?'" Kaede demanded.

Mamoru rolled his eyes. "The Crest of Friendship, of course," he said. "We kill the kid and his Digimon, therefore we kill the crest, therefore we cure Cobramon of his loyalty, therefore he's on our side. Got it now?"

Makoto just glared at him. Kaede shrugged indifferently. "Okay. Fine. One problem – we don't have a clue where Yamato Ishida and that annoying Gabumon are now. The whole area is on fire. If they escaped, it could take weeks to find them."

Mamoru smirked. "Give me credit, Kaede," he said smoothly. "I know exactly what I'm doing. As we speak, Yamato is about to be in for a _very_ unpleasant surprise. I'll tell you about on the way. Have your reptile give us a ride, okay? I'll give the directions."

The group left, with Kaede not-very-politely telling Mamoru never to call Dragumon a reptile again, and never to order her around.

Cobramon opened his eyes. "Thank goodness for those stealth lessons," he muttered. "So. Yamato is real." Then his eyes widened. "And they're on their way to kill him!" Frantically, he began pulling on his chains. "LET ME OUT OF HERE!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "SOMEBODY LET ME OUT!"

Calm down, my friend. I'll have you out in no time.

Cobramon froze. Then he relaxed. "Thanks, man."

Anytime. The chains shook, then fell away, leaving Cobramon free. Go find Yamato and Dracomon.

"What about you?"

I have some unfinished business. Don't worry about me.

"Thanks again!" He turned to the outside wall. "**Poison Fang!**"

As luck would have it, it soon began to rain. Unfortunately, it didn't stop raining, and the remaining Digi-Destined were forced to take up shelter in a cave near Infinity Mountain.

"We were lucky this place was here," Joe said as he pressed a wet cloth against one of Dracomon's cuts. "We'll head back to the island once the rain has let up. With luck, the fire'll be out."

Sora nodded. "Yeah. Until then, we should probably get some sleep."

"I think T.K and Mimi are way ahead of you on that one," Izzy said, smiling slightly. "The Digimon, too." Beside the two kids, an exhausted Biyomon, Palmon, Tentomon, Gomomon, and Patamon slept soundly.

After dressing the rest of Dracomon's cuts, Joe and Izzy also fell asleep for the night. Sora had volunteered for first watch, but she soon realized that Dracomon wasn't as out of it as everyone thought he was.

"You're worried about him," the Digimon said after about fifteen minutes.

Sora looked at him. "Worried about who?"

Dracomon smiled. "Taichi, of course. You care for him very much, don't you?"

Sora blushed. "I . . . I don't know what you're talking about," she said defensively.

"It'll please you to know that he is alive," Dracomon continued. "I'm connected to the Crest of Courage, and if Taichi were dead, then the Crest would die, and I would cease to exist. That's how connected we are."

Sora bit her lip. "He's okay?"

"Well, I said he was alive," Dracomon said. "That's about as sure as I can be. Get some sleep, dear heart. It's been an exhausting day. I'll stay up for watch."

She decided to listen to his advice. "Okay, Draco. Thanks."

Dracomon just nodded. Sora moved to lie beside Biyomon, and soon she was as asleep as the others.

Well, almost the others. Dracomon lay curled up in his little corner, and as he did so, he couldn't help but notice that Izzy wasn't as soundly asleep as the others. He just seemed to be lightly sleeping. _Come to think of it_, Dracomon thought, _I don't think I've ever seen young Koushiro sleep soundly. I wonder why?_

Worried, Dracomon continued to watch Izzy throughout the night.

Chapter Six

Matt glanced up at the sky. "Still raining," he whispered. He glanced over his shoulder at Tai and Kari. The 8-year-old was fast asleep, and her brother looked like he was about to nod off at any second. The Digimon had been dead to the world for almost two hours.

"Hey, Tai," Matt said. "Come over here."

Tai looked up and yawned. "What for?"

"Just come here."

Something about Matt's voice made Tai listen. Together, the two of them peered through the bushes blocking the overhang they were under, creating a little shelter. "What?" Tai was about to ask, when he noticed the target of Matt's attention.

Making their way towards them was a swarm of some sort of Digimon. They were too far away to see clearly, but something about the way they moved reminded Tai of someone on a mission. 

"Maybe it's nothing," Tai whispered.

"Or maybe we've got trouble," Matt whispered back, his voice hoarse. "Unless I miss my guess, one of those things is about five times larger than the others. And unless I'm going crazy, I'd say that was none other than Dragumon."

Tai looked at who he was pointing to. "You're not crazy. And you haven't missed your guess. That's Dragumon, all right – and she's heading this way!"

"Gabumon, Gatomon, wake up!" Matt hissed, rousing the two Digimon. 

"Kari, Koromon, come on. We have to move." Tai helped his sister to her feet and picked up his Digimon. 

"What's going on, Tai?" Kari asked sleepily. "Did it stop raining?"

Matt looked back up at the sky. "They're coming!" he shouted. He didn't have a choice, because the droning of the swarm of Digimon. "They're some sort of Insect Digimon," he added.

Gatomon looked. "More than one type. I see Snimon, Flymon, and some other things that I can't even begin to identify. And they're fast. We'll never be able to outrun them."

"We have to try," Tai shouted. "Come on, everyone – MOVE!"

Together, the six of them burst out of the bushes and ran for their lives. The swarm was right behind them.

"There they are!" Makoto shouted, pointing down at the small group below them. 

Kaede looked at Mamoru. "How in the world did you manage to find them?" she demanded.

Mamoru smirked. "I have my ways," he said. "What, you think I'll tell you? I don't think so."

She narrowed her eyes. "Watch who you're talking to," she growled. "Dragumon, can't you go any faster?" 

Their ride began to flap her wings harder, and soon they were moving twice as fast. "Is this all right for you?" Dragumon asked with just a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Kaede didn't acknowledge the question.

"All right," Makoto said, a smirk forming on his face. "This is it. We're going after them once and for all. They're going down."

"Hey," Kaede said suddenly, "there's only six of them. Where are the other ten? And where's Dracomon?"

"They must have gotten separated," Mamoru said with a shrug. "No matter. We're only after Yamato and the Crest of Friendship."

Kaede and Makoto rolled their eyes. "All right. Dragumon, now."

Dragumon killed her speed and hovered in the air, taking careful aim. "**Waterspout!**"

"**Waterspout!**"

Cobramon looked up at the sky. "Dragumon," he whispered. "And she's using Waterspout. They must have found Yamato. I'd better hurry." Then something occurred to him. "Waterspout has a large range. They could be _anywhere!_"

Fortunately for him, somewhere to his left came three voices.

"**Koromon** digivolve to **Agumon!**"

"**Gatomon** digivolve to **Angewomon!**"

"**Gabumon** digivolve to **Garurumon!**"

"Digivolving Digimon," Cobramon said, a smile creeping onto his face. "That's got to be who I think it is."

With a deep breath, he began to slither towards the sound of the voices, and the sound of the various explosions.

Chapter Seven

"Go, Garurumon!" Matt shouted to his Digimon.

"You can do it, Angewomon!" Kari called to her Digimon. The two Digimon raced to intercept the oncoming swarm.

"**Celestial Arrow!**" The arrow sliced through the air, aiming straight for the middle of the swarm. At the last second, each of the attackers dodged out of the way, and the arrow slammed into a couple of tall trees. They were pretty crispy already, and it didn't take much to get rid of them.

"**Howling Blaster!**" Garurumon had a bit more luck, and his attack managed to hit three of them off. Unfortunately, one of the Flymon got off a lucky shot and caught him in the shoulder. Garurumon let out a howl of pain and stumbled back.

"Don't let them stop you, Garurumon!" Matt shouted. "Digvolve again!"

Garurumon glowed brightly. "**Garurumon **digivolve to** WereGarurumon!**"

Another digivice beeped, and Tai ran up to stand beside Kari and Matt.

"**Agumon** warpdigivolve to **WarGreymon!**"

"Why did Gabumon warpdigivolve?" Tai asked Matt.

Matt shook his head. "I don't know."

Angewomon was suddenly blindsided by a Snimon attack. She slammed into the ground just inches away from where the three children were standing. She glowed slightly, then changed back into Gatomon. "Gatomon!" Kari cried, running over to the fallen feline.

"**Terror Force!**" This attack wiped out one-fourth of the group, but still completely missed Dragumon and the three Inversed.

"**Waterspout!**" Dragumon growled. The attack smacked WereGarurumon and WarGreymon, but barely fazed either of them. At least, that's what Matt thought – until he noticed WereGarurumon limping. 

It was Kari who noticed that there was something different about Dragumon. "Tai!" she called, "Dragumon's alone! The others aren't riding her anymore?"

Tai and Matt looked at each other. Then, together, they spun around.

Standing behind them, each eerily confident and each brandishing weapons that looked like they could take down a rabid elephant, stood Makoto, Kaede, and Mamoru.

"Dragumon, you don't have to do this!" WarGreymon shouted, dodging another Waterspout. "You can break Kaede's hold on you! You can join us!"

"**Waterspout!**"

"It's no use, WarGreymon," WereGarurumon said, breathing heavily. "She's too corrupted by Hate."

WarGreymon growled deep in his throat. "**Terror Force!**"

"**Water Shield!**" At the last minute, she ducked as her shield died and the Terror Force flew harmlessly over her. It also destroyed the rest of the swarm. 

"Help me here, WereGarurumon!" WarGreymon looked over at his friend desperately, and realized that WereGarurumon was in no condition to help. One too many Waterspouts and knocked him back to Garurumon. "Never mind. I'll handle him."

"That's what you think." Dragumon began to glow. "Remember this?"

"**Dragumon** digivolve to **DevilDragumon!**"

WarGreymon stared at the newly digivolve DevilDragumon. "Here we go again," he moaned.

From down on the ground, Garurumon let out a cry. "MATT!"

Matt was locked in a battle of wills with Mamoru. The big difference: Mamoru was armed with a large scythe blade that he was using as a boomerang. Matt was completely helpless.

Tai wasn't much better. Makoto was getting dangerously close with his sword. And Gatomon and Kari were up against Kaede – every few minutes, one could hear 'Lightning Claw' being shouted.

Mamoru smiled. "Looks like Kaede's little pet's taken this thing to another level."

Matt knew better than to look away, but he could hear the sound of Dragumon becoming DevilDragumon. "Hang on, guys,' he whispered. Then he ducked as Mamoru took another almost dead-on target.

"Is that the best you can do?" The Inversed-Destined of Enemies sneered. "Honestly. I thought you be more of a challenge. I suppose without your dog you're nothing, huh?"

"Who are you calling a dog?" Garurumon launched himself between Matt and Mamoru. "Leave him alone."

Mamoru wasn't impressed. "Oh wow," he said mockingly. "If it isn't the almighty Garurumon. I'm so sacred. Look at me. I'm shaking." He held up his scythe, which began to glow. "Bye bye." He launched the weapon at Garurumon and Matt.

"**Poison Shield!**"

The scythe bounced harmlessly off a the shield and landed at Mamoru's feet. Kaede and Makoto froze. Everyone turned to look at Cobramon.

That was, after all, who it was.

The giant Snake Digimon stood as tall as he could, the upper part of his body raised defiantly towards the Inversed Digimon. 

"How the hell did you escape?" Mamoru roared.

Cobramon fixed his gaze on him. "I really don't think that's any of your business."

"**Devil's Torch!**"

Tai's head snapped up. "WarGreymon, look out!" 

Cobramon looked just in time to see DevilDragumon fire a massive Devil's Torch straight at WarGreymon. Thanks to Tai's shout, WarGreymon was able to twist out of the way and counterattack.

"**Terror Force!**" 

Unfortunately, DevilDragumon was also able to attack.

Cobramon flicked his tongue in annoyance. _These creeps are really getting on my nerves. Dragumon, why did you have to let this happen?_

"We can stop this," Mamoru said suddenly. Cobramon refused to look at him. "Just agree to join us, Cobramon. Leave behind this foolish notion of Friendship and join with Lord Muertamon. Just say the words, Cobramon."

"Mamoru." He looked at the Inversed-Destined of Enemies.

"Yes?"

"**Poison Fang.**" His voice barely above a whisper, it took a moment for Mamoru to realized what he'd said. As realization dawned on him, his eyes widened and he quickly began muttering a shield spell, holding his scythe as a power amplifier.

Too late.

Twin fangs shout from Cobramon's mouth, each glistening with poison. The first one embedded itself in Mamoru's right arm, the second in his left leg. Howling in pain, Mamoru stumbled back into Kaede. 

Cobramon whirled around and fired another shot at DevilDragumon. While he never would have been able to do it to Dragumon (no matter, she was still his friend), he didn't care about this thing she'd become. And the poison would phase when she dedigivolved.

DevilDragumon roared in pain, all three of her heads contorting in pain.

The Digimon of Friendship spun and looked menacingly at Makoto. "Anything else?"

Makoto stared at the Snake Digimon. "You'll regret this," he whispered. Then he pointed his sword at Tai. "It's not over yet, Kamiya!" Grabbing Kaede and Mamoru, he whistled for DevilDragumon, who was sort of limp-flying. With the Digi-Destined and their three Digimon (not to mention Cobramon) watching them, they flew off out of sight.

"We're just going to let them go?" Matt demanded to Tai. "We could hit them now, and hard! We could solve this problem."

"Muertamon revived them once," Cobramon said. "He'd just do it again, and make them even stronger. By the way, I'm Cobramon. You're Yamato?"

Matt nodded. "That's Tai and Kari. The Digimon are Agumon, Gabumon, and Gatomon." 

Cobramon brought his head down close to Matt. When he saw the Crest of Friendship, he smiled. "I've been waiting a long time to meet you, Yamato."

Matt smiled, too. "I think I've been waiting for you, too."

"And that about wraps it up," Cobramon said an hour or so later. The seven of them were resting in a small clearing about four miles from where the fire had ended. "Now, tell me . . . where's Dracomon?"

Tai shrugged. "He was injured last time we saw him. That was just before we got separated from the others. We don't know where they are right now, but they'll probably come back here to look for us."

Cobramon raised the upper third of his body. "Then we have to get to them first," he said urgently. "Muertamon probably has this place tagged. If they show up, he'll be all over them."

"How do we find them?" Kari asked, looking up expectantly.

"The Crest of Courage," Cobramon said. "Taichi, you can track Dracomon. All you have to do is concentrate. That's how I found Yamato."

"My Crest wasn't really in working order," Matt muttered. "I don't know how you could've used it."

Cobramon looked sheepish. "I'm, uh, afraid that's _my_ fault. See, when I have to use the Crest for power, that means your own Digimon will have a harder time digivolving. Sorry 'bout that, Gabu."

"That's all right," Gabumon said. "But – Gabu?"

"Habit," Cobramon informed him. "Back when we were all together, we had a tendency to drop the 'mon' off our names. I became Cobra, Dracomon was Draco, Mezzomon was Mezzo – ecetera, ecetera, ecetera. Did I offend you?"

"Not at all," Gabumon said. "It just took me by surprise."

"I think a lot of us have been taken by surprise today," Cobramon said. He stretched luxuriously. "All right. Break's over. We better get moving. Everybody on. Taichi, start concentrating."

"You're coming with us?" Matt asked, surprised.

"Of course," Cobramon said. "After all, what are friends for if they can't protect you from insane evil Digimon?"

Laughing, Cobramon and his six passengers began moving through the forest, headed for . . . where?

Author's note: And so ends Digi-Destiny #3. This was a little shorter than I intended, but hey, these things happen. Hope no one minds. Check out the below preview for information on the next part:

Digi-Destiny #4 

LOST HOPE

The Digi-Destined are separated – again! Now it's Dracomon's group searching for Cobramon's group, and both are being hunted by the infamous Muertamon. Oh great. 

Of course, it doesn't help that T.K's suddenly come down with a bad bout of the flu; and it's a much worse case than any of the other's have seen before. And Dracomon has to wonder – could T.K's sickness have something to do with the legendary Golden Sphinx, with lies only a couple miles away from their current position?


	4. Lost Hope

Digi-Destiny #4

LOST HOPE

Chapter One

"It's still raining," Joe said for the fifth time that hour.

"We know, Joe," Izzy, Mimi, Sora, T.K, Dracomon, Gomomon, Biyomon, Palmon, Tentomon, and Patamon said for the fifth time that hour. 

Joe looked hurt. "Sorry. I'm just bored."

"So are the rest of us," Sora said. "Not to mention we're all worried about Tai, Kari, and Matt."

"Dracomon?" T.K looked at the Digimon of Courage.

The Dragon Digimon turned his head. "What is it, Takeru?" he asked. "Something troubling you?"

"Yeah," said T.K. "Am I ever going to see my brother again?"

"Oh, Takeru," Dracomon said, "is that what's bothering you?" T.K. nodded. "Come here. Listen. We're going to find Yamato. I promise. We'll find him, and Taichi, and Hikari. Then, when we're all together again, we'll leave this place and go see if we can find the rest of my friends."

"Then we'll go after Muertamon?"

Dracomon nodded. "Then we'll go after Muertamon. But we can't do anything until this rain stops. Just be patient."

T.K. glanced out at the falling rain. There was no sign of it stopping. "I don't know if I can be that patient, Dracomon," T.K. said softly.

"We should rest here," Tai suggested to Cobramon. "We're pretty tired, which means you must be exhausted. You've been moving non-stop for hours."

Cobramon didn't slow. "The sooner we find Dracomon and the others, the sooner we can go after Muertamon. Trust me. We don't want to stop."

Tai frowned and shrugged. "If that's what you think." He turned back around and looked at Matt and Kari, who were stretched out on Cobramon's back. "Hey, you two. Cobramon doesn't think it's a good idea to stop." 

Matt opened his eyes. "Maybe it's just as well. I wouldn't want those Inversed or Dragumon catching up with us anytime soon."

Kari nodded. "Yeah. We can get our rest right here, Tai. It's actually pretty comfortable."

"The Digimon don't seem to be complaining," Matt pointed out. Sure enough, Agumon, Gabumon, and Gatomon were curled up in a pile near the center of Cobramon's back, sound asleep. "Get some rest, Tai."

Tai sighed. "You're right." He stretched out between Matt and Kari. "Wake me up when the scenery changes," he said, yawning.

Matt and Kari were already fast asleep.

__

That could be awhile, Taichi, thought Cobramon as he continued to move through the forest at rapid speed.

About forty miles from the cave where Dracomon's group was sleeping stood a large Sphinx in the middle of the desert. It was the same Sphinx that the Digi-Destined had run into during their fight with Etemon, but what they hadn't realized was that, like Etemon's pyramid, there was a maze of rooms beneath the large statue.

In the center room lay a large wolf-like Digimon. At first glance, one would think it was Garurumon. But the fur was black, and the stripes were red. 

This Digimon was chained to the four walls of the room, making it almost impossible for it to move. Standing near the entrance to the room was a young man. He was smirking.

The Digimon was shaking.

The young man alone knew how connected the Desti-Digimon were to the ones they protected. Once they became inversed, they were connected to an Inversed Digi-Destined. But this Canine Digimon was not Inversed. He was still connected to the Crest of Hope.

His name was Mezzomon.

And the young man, the Inversed-Destined of Despair, was slowly killing him.

The pain was unbearable. 

It felt like someone was driving hot knives into his skin. 

He tried to pull away, but he couldn't. 

He couldn't open up his eyes, either.

For the first time, the dreams didn't come. For the first time, the calm, soothing voice couldn't be heard.

The pain was unbearable . . . 

It was Sora who woke up first. She frowned and looked around. "Patamon," she whispered, shaking the Rodent Digimon slightly. "Where's T.K?"

Patamon wearily roused himself. "I think . . . there he is." 

Sora looked over at T.K., who was sleeping soundly near the cave entrance. "He'll get sick sleeping over there," she said. "I better go get him."

As she approached him, though, she noticed that his skin seemed kind of pale. And he was shivering slightly. His hair was wet, but that could have been from the rain (when would this storm stop?) and his cheeks seemed kind of flushed. "T.K?" she whispered, shaking him slightly. "Hey, wake up." She called his name louder, just loud enough to make Patamon come over and help. When that didn't so anything, she pressed the palm of her hand against his forehead.

She pulled her hand back in shock. "What's wrong?" Patamon asked nervously. 

"Patamon, go wake up Joe," Sora said grimly. "T.K's sick."

"Well?"

The rough voice came from the entrance to the Great Sphinx. Shigeru turned to address the speaker calmly. "Well what?"

Makoto stormed into the room, his sword swinging casually in the scabbard. "How's it going?"

Shigeru sighed and gestured at the shaking form of Mezzomon. "It's going according to plan," he said. "Nothing more, nothing less. You can't expect magic as complicated as this to work miracles overnight."

"But you're certain Takeru is being affected?" 

Shigeru nodded. "Trust me. He's being affected."

"Good."

"He's unconscious," Joe said, looking up from where he was kneeling next to T.K. "He's got a fever, but I don't know the temperature."

"Then take a guess," Dracomon interjected. 

"Roughly 106 degrees," Joe said dejectedly. "Usually a fever that high would begin to kill a human. This isn't your ordinary illness."

Mimi frowned. "When is anything ordinary around here?" she snapped. "I bet those Inversed have something to do with this."

Izzy shook his head. "That's logically impossible. How could one of them be responsible for putting T.K. in a coma? We haven't even seen them for two or three days. Right, Dracomon?"

But Dracomon was staring thoughtfully out of the cave entrance. He didn't appear to have heard Izzy's statement. 

__

It was an ancient magic, passed down through generations of humans. But the first time it had ever been revealed in the Digital World had been during the last generation of Digi-Destined.

I had never seen anything quite like the spells Shigeru would weave for our viewing. He liked to show off for us – he knew he was the best at what he did, and that none of us would ever dare to challenge his power. 

I never did understand why Mezzo stuck by the Digi-Destined of Hope when we argued about his power. "It's dangerous," I'd say. "It could get us all killed." And Mezzo would answer with a little laugh and reply, "It's nothing of the sort, Draco. Shigeru would never use the powers against us."

Mezzo was wrong. What's happening to Takeru – it's definitely the work of Shigeru. I've always been able to look at the big picture . . . but Mezzomon was always fiercely loyal.

I dread to think of what is causing Takeru's sickness. 

Could Muertamon have gotten to Mezzo?

Considering the Canine's past record with loyalty, it wouldn't surprise me one bit.

Chapter Two 

"Wake up, everyone," Cobramon said. "It's time to get to work."

Tai blinked sleepily. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, we've hit a problem."

Tai opened his eyes and took in their surroundings. "Hold it. I thought we were on an island. How in the world can we be here?"

Here was an incredibly large desert that spanned out father than the eye could see. Sure enough, it appeared that, rather than being on the island everyone thought they were on, the small group had actually been traveling along a large _peninsula!_

Matt crawled next to Tai. "Man," he said in disbelief, "this is going to take forever to cross."

Kari stared wide-eyed around them. "Do you think the others are out there?"

Cobramon sighed, his whole body shuddering. "It doesn't matter. This is the only way we can go. If we had passed them, I would've picked up Dracomon."

"What do we do, Tai?" Matt asked. 

Tai shrugged. "There's only one thing we _can _do. Cobramon, you better keep going. Matt, Kari – wake up the Digimon. We better be prepared for anything."

"Right," the two of them said.

Cobramon didn't move.

"Cobramon?" Tai asked. "What's wrong?"

"Well, it's just – um – Matt? Should I go?"

Matt was taken off guard. "Uh, yeah. Why not?"

Cobramon began moving forward. "Sorry about that. It's just – I have sort of a problem with taking orders from someone other than the Digi-Destined of Friendship. See, if I were to listen to Makoto like that, and Mamoru didn't want me going, I could be badly punished."

Matt and Tai exchanged looks. "Cobramon, if Tai asks you to do something, it's okay to do it. Unless I object. Okay?"

"Okay," Cobramon answered. 

Mezzomon.

"Who . . . who's there?" Mezzomon whimpered.

Hang on, Mezzomon.

"The pain . . . I can't . . . bear . . . make it stop."

Just hang on. Hang on for Takeru. 

"Please. Make it stop."

I wish I could.

"When will this rain _stop?_" demanded Sora as she paced back and forth. "Tai, Matt, and Kari are still out there, and T.K's sick. What if he needs a blood transfusion or something? Matt's the only one who can do that. What if this thing is contagious, or it starts affecting Patamon? What if . . ."

"What if you stop complaining?" Joe snapped irritably. "Sora, T.K is not bleeding, he does not need a blood transfusion – not to mention that I don't even know _how_ to perform a blood transfusion! If this thing were contagious, we would've all been showing signs a long time ago. And as for Patamon, well, he's okay for now. It's not like if we needed him to digivolve he could do it, anyway. Now just _sit_ down and shut up, okay?"

Everyone stared at him. "Fine, Joe," Sora said meekly. "You don't have to get so offended." She sat down next to Mimi and Izzy. "So, Iz, any luck on why it's raining so much?"

"No, but I'll tell you one thing," Izzy said, typing softly on his keyboard. "According to this chart Gennai sent me, the rain all seems to be concentrated right in this area. There's a desert not far from here – maybe a mile away – and it's completely dry."

Dracomon leaned his head down. "A desert, you say?" he asked. "Koushiro – can you track Digimon?"

"Usually," answered Izzy. "I can at least figure out if there are any in the area."

"Do it," ordered the Desti-Digimon. "Then try to figure out what each Digimon is."

"I can only do it if I've seen that particular Digimon, or if anyone else has seen them. Anything else will come up unknown."

"That's what I'm counting on." Dracomon turned away and looked back at T.K.

"Do you know something we don't, Dracomon?" Mimi asked.

"I have no idea, Mimi," he replied.

Izzy worked long into the night, once again running on about two hours of not-deep sleep. The others were trading off watch shifts, so that someone besides Izzy would be able to help T.K. 

Tentomon was also awake, and staring over his friend's shoulder. "Any luck?" he asked.

"I've got the radar up," replied Izzy. "I'm having some trouble identifying them. Several are ones we've seen before, but there are quite a few unknowns."

Dracomon moved his head over so that he could see the screen. "Okay," he said. "Delete the blips that are identifiable. Good. Now figure out which Digimon are Champion level."

"That's easy," scoffed Izzy. "Each color. White – Training. Blue – Rookie. Green – Champion. I'll just isolate the greens." When he was done, two blips were revealed. "Here we go. And no clue who these two are."

Tentomon thought hard. "Couldn't you tap into Etemon's old Dark Network? Maybe you could access the video images and check."

Izzy looked at his friend. "Prodigious! I'll get right to work."

"Do that," agreed Dracomon. "I'm going to check on Takeru."

Night had fallen, making the great desert somewhat cooler and easier to tolerate. Cobramon prayed it wouldn't get much colder – deserts were prone to extreme drops in temperature. 

"We're going to need to take shelter soon," he said as they moved. "I may be a snake, and I may be cold-blooded, but that doesn't mean you can hold out too long. We need to get somewhere warm."

"Hey, Tai," Agumon said, looking around. "Doesn't this place remind you of somewhere?"

Tai scanned the area. "After the Dark Masters, everything was so messed up. But yeah, I know what you mean, Agumon. This looks familiar."

It was Matt who realized why. "This is the same desert we faced Etemon in," he exclaimed. "Look! That's the Great Sphinx we hid in, and over there is the pyramid where Datamon took Sora."

Cobramon stared at the hulking mass of the Sphinx. _Strange_, he thought. _That almost looks like . . . no. Too small._ "We'll camp out in the pyramid," he said. "I hope you kids know a way in."

"There should be a large opening on the left side," Tai said. 

"Good."

Chapter Three

__

Well I'll be a Digimon's uncle, Makoto thought viscously as he watched the small caravan slip into the pyramid. _Those fools are so close, it's unbelievable. I can't believe they'd be foolish enough to just walk right into our grasp!_

"Shigeru," hissed Makoto. "How soon until the Desti-Digimon is released from the Crest of Hope?"

Shigeru looked at the quivering form of Mezzomon. "It's taking longer than I thought. We want Takeru out of the way, but we don't want Mezzomon to die as well. I can't risk turning it up any. Why?"

"There's a little party of Digi-Destined brats less than a mile away," smirked Makoto. "And one of them keeps the Crest of Courage."

"And you want revenge," Shigeru finished. "Well, I don't have any problem with it. The sooner we snap Dracomon away from the Courage's snare, the better. Once you destroy the Crest of Courage, he'll have no choice but to obey the Crest of Fear."

Makoto nodded and placed a hand on his sword. "I think I'll enjoy this. Keep an eye on our friend here. And above all else, _don't_ let Mamoru know about our 'guests'. I don't want him getting in the way."

"Understood." As Makoto crept out of the Sphinx, Shigeru sighed. _I really don't care what His Royal Painness wants to do_, he thought. _I just want to get rid of Takeru and the Crest of Hope._

Tai was having a hard time sleeping. Memories of this pyramid still haunted him. He could almost hear Datamon's voice and Sora's cries for help – he could see himself freezing up at the electric field – he could . . .

"Relax, Taichi," Cobramon whispered in the darkness. "Get some sleep. We'll be getting an early start in the morning."

"I thought snakes would be more at home in the desert during the night," Tai said.

Cobramon chuckled. "True, we are, but I know that it is far too cold for you humans. You and Yamato may be able to handle it, but young Hikari wouldn't last too long, would she? At any rate, it's easier to sleep when you have no light glaring down on you."

Tai nodded. "You're right, Cobramon. Maybe I will get some sleep."

"Good idea," Cobramon said, a smile in his voice. "I'll keep – what?"

"What is it?" Tai asked, sitting up suddenly. Cobramon's tone was enough to send shivers down his spine.

"We have company," hissed Cobramon. "Wake the others. We need to move before we . . ."

"Before we what?" Tai rolled over to nudge Kari awake, and saw that he didn't have to. She was already up, and staring at the opening they'd entered through.

"Hello there, Taichi," Makoto sneered, his sword roaring to life. "Imagine meeting you here."

Tai rose to his feet. "What are you doing here, Makoto?" he growled, his fists clenched. Just because he was unarmed didn't mean he was going to let the Inversed-Destined push him around. Beside him, Matt and Kari were also tensing up. Cobramon, Agumon, Gabumon, and Gatomon stood just behind them, ready to jump in when needed.

"Do you need to ask?" Makoto jeered. The flames of his sword licked the air, and they grew whiter as they became blazingly hot. "I won't even need to break out into a sweat." With a maniacal laugh, he swiped out a Tai, a large fireball shooting out from the blade of the sword.

"**Blue Blaster!**" shouted Gabumon, the stream of water hitting the fireball dead center, extinguishing it. But Makoto wasn't done. He didn't waste anytime in firing more fireballs. There was no way Gabumon could catch them all.

"Let's do it, guys!" Tai shouted. "Digivolve!"

Izzy's computer started flashing wildly. "Whoa!" Tentomon cried, jumping back from it slightly. "What's going on?"

Izzy bent over the keyboard and began to tap away furiously. "Some of the Digimon out there are changing," he cried. "They're digivolving!" 

"Get a fixed location," ordered Dracomon. "Identify them."

The names began scrolling down on the screen. "We have a Greymon, a Garurumon, an Angewomon, and some other Digimon I can identify. We've found them!" 

When this reached Sora, Mimi, Joe, and the other Digimon, the whole cave exploded with shouts and cheers. But soon the noise faded as they all remembered T.K. "We can't leave him and we can't take him," Sora said. "One of us will have to stay here."

"If the others are digivolving, something must have happened," Joe said. "Gomomon and I will stay with T.K. The rest of you go help the others."

"A solid plain, Joe," Dracomon said, nodding. "All right, on my bak everyone. Koushiro, you know where we're going?"

"Affirmative," said Izzy. 

"Good luck," Joe called after them.

"**Howling Blaster!**" Garurumon roared, firing a shot of ice at Makoto's sword. It encased the sword immediately – and then melted. "What?"

"Garurumon, look out!" Matt shouted as Makoto fired another fireball. Garurumon didn't have enough warning – the flames caught him in the side, knocking him onto the sand.

Because of the size of the Digimon, they'd been forced to move the battle outside. Tai, Matt, and Kari stood just outside the pyramid entrance.

"**Celestial Arrow!**" Angewomon's arrow of light slammed into the ground at Makoto's feet. Makoto absorbed the impact, stumbled back, and let loose with another fireball.

"Here's a taste of your own medicine," Greymon snarled. "**Nova Blast!**"

"Thanks for the boost!" Makoto snarled as he absorbed the flames into the sword. "Here's your reward!" A fireball the size of Greymon's Nova Blast whipped towards him.

"Greymon!" Tai shouted.

"**Fire Shield!**"

A wall of fire shot up in front of Greymon, and the fireball was immediately absorbed.

"What?" Makoto looked up at where the voice had come from. 

"**Flame Whip!**"

He held out his sword, ready to take the attack from Dracomon, when suddenly . . .

"**Poison Fang!**"

A sharp, blinding pain shot through Makoto's back as twin fangs slammed into his skin, knocking him to the ground, just barely managing to hang onto his sword. He could feel his skin beginning to go numb. _No, it can't end like this!_ he thought. _I have to kill Taichi!_

Then the pain was gone. 

The entire group watched as Makoto and his sword completely disappeared, leaving absolutely no trace.

Tai, Kari, and Matt stepped out of the pyramid and watched as Dracomon made a graceful landing on the sand. 

"Hey, you guys," Tai said cheerfully. "What took you so long?"

Joe knelt beside the shivering T.K. "What do you think is wrong with him, Joe?" Gomomon asked, looking at T.K. worriedly. Patamon nudged his friend's cheek slightly with his front paw, but T.K. didn't stir.

Joe shook his head. "This isn't a natural sickness," he said with confidence. "It's nothing like the common flu. I'm not sure what it is, but I don't like it."

"T.K," whispered Patamon. "T.K., wake up."

"Patamon," Joe said softly, "don't. He needs rest. I know, it scares me to see him like this, too – but Matt and the others will be back soon. They'll know what to do." He looked out the cave entrance. "I hope."

Unnoticed by the watchful trio, T.K.'s crest glow slightly for one moment. Then it dulled again.

Chapter Four

"You _idiot!_" Makoto screamed. "I had them! I had them!"

Shigeru rolled his eyes. "You didn't," he said scathingly. "They would've killed you, Makoto, and then our plans would've been useless. Remember – we need all eight of us in the final fight."

"You almost blew it," spat Kaede.

"You _knew_ Cobramon was there," Mamoru growled, "and you _still_ went without back-up."

"Talk about stupid," sneered Kozou, who was busy polishing his gun. "Not even Ryoji would be that stupid."

Makoto glared at his four companions. "You shut up," he hissed. "As if you haven't had a chance like this and blown it. You've all messed up."

"I, at least, got Dragumon in the process," snapped Kaede. "You can barely even control the Sword of Fear."

"And Shigeru's making excellent progress obtaining the Desti-Digimon of Hope," countered Mamoru.

"You can't even begin to blame me," said Kozou. "I haven't encountered the Digi-Destined yet."

Shigeru sighed. "It seems that we have another problem, my 'friends'," he said, using the term 'friends' very loosely. "Those brats are going to wonder how Makoto found them so easily. They might get suspicious and begin snooping around."

Kaede smiled. "I'll get right on it. How much time do Dragumon and I need to give you?"

"Two hours," replied Shigeru. 

"Where's T.K?" Matt asked, looking around. "And Joe's not here, either."

Sora and Mimi glanced at each other. "Matt," Mimi said carefully, "T.K. – he's sick. Joe stayed with him to keep an eye on him. They're back at the cave we've been staying in."

"Which we can't get back to right now," Dracomon said. "The only reason I was able to fly us out was because the rain ceased, but it's starting up again. We'll have to wait here until the next lull. You can see the rain from here."

"Looks like monsoon season," Cobramon muttered. "Just the sort of weather Dragumon loved, eh, Draco?"

Dracomon hung his head.

Cobramon stared at him, then groaned. "Open mouth, insert tail," he muttered. "Sorry, Draco, I forgot. Dragu . . ."

"Is right behind us!" shouted Kari. "Look out!" 

"**Waterspout!**"

Cobramon and Dracomon dove off to each side, jumping in front of the two separate sets of kids. "**Fire Shield!**"

"**Poison Shield!**" hissed Cobramon in return. "**Poison Fang!**"

The twin fangs shot towards Dragumon, who easily outmaneuvered them. "Darn it!" muttered the snake, "She's too agile. Dracomon, hit her with the Flame Whip!"

But Dracomon didn't move.

"Dracomon!" 

"He's frozen again," realized Tai. "Oh, no."

"Again?" Cobramon whirled around. "What are you talking about?"

"Last time he and Dragumon faced off, he refused to attack her. Only when she digivolved did he finally do something, because he said in her new Ultimate form she didn't resemble his friend anymore," Sora explained. 

Cobramon whipped his head back around just in time to see Dragumon lunge at the helpless Dracomon. "No!" shouted Cobramon. "_Dracomon!_"

"Hey!" shouted Matt. "What's going on?" 

A bright blue light emanated from beneath his shirt as the Crest of Friendship began to glow with immense power. At the same time, the insignia of Friendship tattooed on Cobramon's scales began to shine with the same blue. It slowly grew to include the rest of him . . . 

"No!" another voice, this one dangerously familiar. "This can't happen!"

"Dragumon, stop him!" hollered Kaede from her safe place. 

Dragumon spun around. "**Waterspout!**" she shouted, firing a large stream of water directly at Cobramon.

There was a sharp crackle of electricity as the attack hit directly over the Friendship mark. There was a bright flash of light that whipped away and slammed into everyone . . . and then there was nothing. 

"How many times are we going to lose consciousness before this whole thing is over?" Tai complained as he pulled himself into a sitting position. Beside him, Sora and Kari were also struggling to rise. "What happened, anyway?"

"Tai," Izzy called from a ways away. "Look."

Tai followed his gaze. "What in the world?"

There, frozen like some ancient tableau, was the still forms of Cobramon, Gabumon, and Matt. None of them moved, or even appeared to be breathing. It was like someone had taken a giant remote and pressed the pause button. A light blue glow surrounded all of them. 

"Cobramon's digivolving was interrupted," said Dracomon as he staggered up to them. "The energy from Yamato's crest that was being used exploded. They're frozen in time."

"How can we unfreeze them?" Tai asked.

Suddenly Greymon jumped in front of Tai. "Look, Tai! It's Dragumon."

Not far from them, the large form of Dragumon pushed herself from a collapsed position into a standing point. She turned her head to face them, blinking uncertainly. "What's going on?" she whispered. "Dracomon? What happened?"

Her voice was different. It was no longer the savage roar that they had come to know but a soft, lifting soprano that seemed to put everyone's minds as ease. And the look of total confusion gave her a sense of tranquillity.

"Tai, her wing," Sora whispered, coming up next to him and placing her hand on his arm.

Tai looked. 

There, in a shade of red that perfectly matched Sora's crest, was the insignia of, not Hate, but Love. 

Chapter Five

"Dragumon?" breathed Dracomon, taking a step forward. There was light in his eyes that hadn't been there before, and he seemed more than eager to hurry to his friend's side.

"Whoa, hold up, Dracomon," Tai said, raising both hands. "How do we know she's not just playing us for fools? This could all be a trap."

Dragumon blinked uncertainly in Tai's direction. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice quivering. "What's going on here? Draco, what's wrong with Cobra? Where are Avi and Lacio. What's going on? Why are we in the desert?"

"You don't remember anything?" Dracomon asked, looking uncertain.

"I remember be awakened in the Caves of Ai," said Dragumon. "And after that – nothing. The next thing I know, I'm here."

"What do you think happened?" Sora wondered, staring at the Dragon Digimon. 

It was Izzy who slowly began to piece together what had occurred. "When Cobramon's digivolving was interrupted, the power exploded outward. Those blue rings we saw, the ones that passed right through us – they went through Dragumon, too. Well, since Matt's crest is the Crest of Friendship, maybe the energy of the crest was enough to change Dragumon so that she was a friend now – breaking Kaede's hold on her."

"Kaede?" Dragumon asked, a hint of anger entering her voice. "Where? What has she done now?"

"Easy, Dragu," Dracomon said softly. "It's all right. She's not here now."

"But I heard her," Angewomon said. "I heard her tell Dragumon to stop the digivolve."

"There's no place around here where she could've been safe from the crest's powers," Tentomon said. 

Kari pointed across the sand. "What about over there?"

They all turned to look at the Sphinx statue. "It's the only logical place," Izzy realized. "It's worth a look."

Dragumon glanced at the frozen tableau. "What about them? We can't leave them unguarded."

"I'll stay with them," offered Izzy. "We'll watch them, right, Tentomon?" Tentomon nodded. 

"All right," Tai said, giving Izzy a thumbs-up. "Let's go check out that Sphinx."

"I don't believe this."

"Master, it's not our fault," Kaede pleaded. 

"You were the one who commanded your Digimon to stop the Desti-Digimon of Friendship from digivolving."

"If he had completed the transition into Diamamon, it would've been twice as hard to change him," objected Mamoru. "It wasn't Kaede's fault."

"I don't need you sticking up for me," Kaede snarled.

"I wasn't," snapped Mamoru. "I just don't want to be named as an accomplice."

"SILENCE!" Both Inversed shook and looked back at Muertamon. "You have tried my patience," he whispered. "Get Dragumon back. That is an order. If you can't complete that one little task, I'll use those weapons of yours on you! Understand?"

"Yes, Master," both said complacently.

"Go," Muertamon said, waving his hand, "you bore me."

__

Where am I?

Are you there?

__

What's happening?

Can you stop this?

__

Who are you?

I am me. 

__

It's so cold and dark. I'm scared.

The burning hot pain. I can't take this.

__

Help me, Matt, Kari!

Oh, Cobra, Draco, I'm so sorry. 

__

I don't want to leave.

I'm such a fool.

__

Someone help me.

Let me die. 

"No . . . no . . . stop . . ."

"Joe," Gomomon called. "Get over here! I think T.K. may be waking up!"

Joe immediately roused himself – he had just begun to nod off – and crawled over to the small figure. Quickly he placed his hand on T.K.'s head. "It looks like the fever's broken," he said with relief. "T.K.? T.K., can you hear me?"

"What?" a small voice mumbled. "Joe . . .? Patamon?"

"I'm here, T.K.," Patamon said. "How do you feel?"

T.K. slowly opened his eyes, which seemed to take a lot out of him. "Did someone see the bus that hit me?" he asked weakly. "That's how I feel."

The trio managed a shaky laugh. "Welcome back, T.K.," Joe said with relief. 

"Where is everyone?" T.K. asked. "Did you find Matt?"

"Yeah, we found him," Gomomon said, "and the others, too. Everyone else went to pick them up, but they won't be able to get back here until the rain breaks again."

T.K. smiled slightly. "That's good," he whispered. "Where's the other one?"

Joe frowned. "Other one?"

"The one who was talking," continued T.K. "He said he was sorry and that he wanted me to come back. He said he'd stay and face despair. It was the voice from my dream – I thought he came like Tai and Matt's voices did."

"He's still mildly disillusioned," whispered Joe to Gomomon. "T.K., did this voice have a name?" he asked. 

T.K. managed a weary nod. "He said his name was Mezzomon, and that he was in a place with lots of sand."

"The desert," murmured Joe. 

"Hey, didn't the others go to the desert?" asked Patamon. "You should contact them."

"Good idea, Patamon," said Joe. "Izzy left his laptop for once – I'll see if I can get a hold of his digivice."

"_crackle – Iz – snap crackle – an scree crackle crackle – Izzy, can you hear me?_"

"Izzy, you're digivice!" cried Tentomon. "That sounds like Joe!"

Izzy grabbed his digivice. "Joe? You figured out how to contact me through my laptop?"

"_Yes, but never mind that now. T.K.'s awake, and he's doing good,_" Joe said through the speakers. 

"That's great," Izzy breathed, sighing in relief. "But we've got our own little problems. I can't go into it now, but Dragumon's on our side now. But we don't know if it's permanent. See, Cobramon began to digivolving, and it was interrupted, and now he, Gabumon and Matt are frozen in time, and it's possible that when they get unfrozen . . ."

"_Izzy, Izzy!_" Joe exclaimed. "_Tell me about it later. Right now we have another problem. T.K. was telling us about a voice in his dream that saved his life or something – something named Mezzomon. That mean anything to you?_"

Izzy thought for a moment. "Um . . ."

"Mezzomon was the name of the Desti-Digimon of Hope," said Tentomon. 

Behind Joe, they could hear Gomomon smacking his head against the wall and muttered about how he could've forgotten that. 

"_Anyway, T.K. said Mezzomon was somewhere where there was lots of sand,_" said Joe. "_I figured, sand, desert, right? So you guys better find him. I'm losing the connection. Bye._"

The digivice crackled again, then went out. 

"Okay, think," Izzy said, looking at Tentomon. "Dracomon said each Desti-Digimon was enclosed in a sacred spot. He told them to us once. The Temple of the Ancients, the Caves of Ai, Infinity Mountain, the Crater of Ken . . ."

"The Coliseum, something Lake . . ." Tentomon added.

"Which wouldn't be in a desert," said Izzy. "We're missing two. Um, um – the Great Sphinx! There was a Sphinx!"

"There's a Sphinx!" cried Tentomon. "The others are heading right for it!" 

"We have to head them off," said Izzy. "I think these guys'll be pretty safe. We don't have a choice."

"They'll understand," Tentomon said. "**Tentomon** digivolve to **Kabuterimon!**"

"What was that?" Mimi stopped and listened closely. "It sounded like someone in pain."

"It sounded like it was coming from below us," said Kari. "Angewomon, do you hear it?"

"Yes," said Angewomon, "I hear it."

"Draco," Dragumon said, pausing, "does this place looked familiar to you?"

Dracomon glanced around and growled deep in his throat. "I keep feeling that is does," he said, "but I've never been in a Sphinx this small. It must just remind us of the Great Sphinx."

"The Great Sphinx?" Tai repeated. "Isn't that in Egypt?"

"What's Egypt?" Greymon asked.

"Never mind," said Tai. 

"The Great Sphinx is the name of one of the sacred places that we Desti-Digimon were confined to," explained Dracomon. "If I'm not mistaken, I think it was Mezzomon who was sentenced to that place."

"Could this be the same place?" Kari asked.

"I doubt it," Dragumon said. "It's much smaller. The head was nowhere near as high off the ground as it should've been."

Kari looked thoughtful. "But . . . I mean, maybe I'm wrong, but couldn't the sand from the desert cover up some of the Sphinx, and make it look like it's not as big as it was? It's been several years since you last saw it, and there were probably many sandstorms."

The two Desti-Digimon looked at each other. "You know, I think she may have a point," Dragumon said.

"She does!" Everyone turned to see Izzy running down the corridor behind them. "Listen, I just got a call from Joe. He says T.K. woke up and was talking about some Digimon named Mezzomon who was in the desert. We managed to deduce that this Mezzomon is the Desti-Digimon of Hope and that he's being held in this place. And if T.K.'s any proof, than Mezzomon is probably in big trouble!"

"You're too smart for your own good, boy," a new voice echoed from somewhere unknown. There was no one around who could've possibly been the owner. The voice seemed like it was coming from everywhere. "Oh, hello, Dracomon, Dragumon. So nice to see you."

Dragumon was literally shaking, and Dracomon just looked ticked. "Shigeru," he snarled. 

"The one and only," agreed the voice of Shigeru. "I'm afraid your is right, of course – Mezzomon _is_ here with me: unfortunately, he's decided that he'd rather protect the child instead of joining the winning team. He'll die soon – unless you can find him. If you can find him in this maze, then you can have him. And I never go back on my word."

"Mezzomon would be kept in the lowest chamber," said Dracomon. "And since we don't know how far it is the lowest chamber, this could take forever!"

"You have one hour," replied the Inversed-Destined of Despair. "Better get going."

"Who is this Shigeru person?" Tai asked.

"He used to be the Digi-Destined of Hope," replied Dracomon. "But, like all the others, he was corrupt."

"He had this eerie power," added Dragumon. "He called is 'primal magic' or something – he could do anything! It was a great weapon, but dangerous. Mezzomon always said he'd never harm us, though – and look where it got him."

"Mezzomon was incredibly loyal," said Dracomon. "I'm glad to see he's changed his mind. He's a good friend."

"What's he look like?" asked Kabuterimon. "So that we know who he is."

"He resembles Garurumon, only with black fur and red stripes. He uses the desert for his attacks," described Dragumon.

Suddenly Angewomon, who was at the head of the group, skidded to a stop. "Trouble," she called. 

"What are _those?_" squealed Mimi, pointing.

"Looks like Shigeru has some surprises for us," Dracomon said dryly as he took in the sight of five humanoid figures moving towards them . . . made completely out of raw electricity. 

Like living lightning . . . 

"No one digivolve!" ordered Tai. "There isn't enough room!"

"**Poison Ivy!**" 

"**Nova Blast!**"

"**Spiral Twister!**"

"**Celestial Arrow!**"

"**Flame Whip!**"

"**Waterspout!**"

"**Electroshocker!**"

The attacks bounced harmlessly off the lightning creatures – all the attacks except for Kabuterimon's. Instead, the creatures _absorbed_ the attack, growing twice as large as previously.

"Kabuterimon, fall back!" cried Izzy. The big Insect Digimon did so thankfully, bringing up the rear of the pack.

"Idiots," Shigeru laughed. "Those creatures are made from primal magic. They are raw electricity. None of your attacks can stop them!"

"I should've known Shigeru would make this a rough as possible," growled Dracomon. "Everyone, grab onto each other. We're going to take a short cut!"

"Short cut?" was the general question, but they all did as commanded.

"**Flame Whip!**" shouted Dracomon – only he directed the attack at the floor directly beneath them. A crack appeared in the stone.

"**Waterspout!**" cried Dragumon, adding her own energy. "Angewomon, use your Celestial Arrow attack!"

"**Celestial Arrow!**"

The floor broke in half from the arrow's collision, and the group fell into the darkness. 

Chapter Six

Oh, Cobramon, you sure know how to get yourself into these messes.

Don't worry. I'll have you out in a second.

__

Who . . . oh, it's you. I was wondering where you disappeared to.

Finish you're digivolve. The others need you know. The hold over Dragumon is broken – Mezzomon needs your help. They're in the Great Sphinx.

__

The Sphinx!

Yes. Go. Don't worry about me. And tell Yamato that Takeru's all right.

__

Thank you. 

Suddenly Cobramon found that he could move his head. "Yamato, Gabu, are you two okay?"

Matt rubbed his neck. "I'm a little stiff, but I'm fine. What happened?" Gabumon nodded in agreement. 

"It's a long story," said Cobramon. "Right now we need to concentrate on finding the others. They're in trouble."

"How do you know?"

"Never mind that." Cobramon began to glow again. "**Cobramon digivolve to . . . Diamamon!**"

Chapter Seven

"Is everyone all right?" 

It was pitch black in the new room, although you could see the light shining through the hole in the ceiling. But the hole was small, far away – how in the world could they have fallen so far and still be alive?

"All right, everyone off," Dragumon said, climbing to her feet. She'd opened her wings and gotten beneath the others to break their fall. 

"Why are we so far down?" asked Mimi. "We only fell one story – didn't we?"

"Within in this Sphinx is an endless labyrinth," replied Dracomon. "No doubt we tumbled through a few trapdoors on the way down."

"Like the labyrinth Centauramon guards," said Izzy to Mimi. "Remember that?"

"That was a man-made labyrinth," Dracomon said. "This is a natural labyrinth. And there's nothing worse than being lost in a maze that has no plan. There was only one person who knew his way around this place without getting lost, and that was Mezzomon."

"Shigeru knew, too," Dragumon said softly. The implication of her words made everyone uneasy. "We better start moving. He's only giving us one hour. I'm not sure how much time has passed yet, but if I remember correctly – the center chamber should be just up ahead."

"You can see in this darkness?" Sora asked.

"Yes," replied Dracomon. "Stay behind the sound of our voices – the two of us can block any attacks that might come."

Chapter Eight

"Hurry, Diamamon," Matt urged as he gripped the spikes on the top of Diamamon's head. "They could be in trouble!"

Diamamon raced along the desert. "I know, Yamato," he said. The sand whipped around him, stinging his scales. As Cobramon, he'd resembled a large cobra – as Diamamon, he resembled something much different. His once green scales were now a deep purple; there were three horns running along the sides of his head, curving upward like the horns of a bull; sticking up from the final foot of his tail was a poison-tipped dart; and twin fangs protruded from his top jaw, razor-sharp and ready to bite. 

"Why doesn't it seem as if we're getting any closer to the Sphinx?" asked Gabumon curiously. "We've been moving for almost ten minutes and we're still the same distance we were before."

"You're right," muttered Diamamon. "Why do I get the feeling we're being set up?"

"Maybe because you are," sneered a familiar voice.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Mamoru," Matt said as Diamamon skidded to a stop. "I should've guessed it was you – I could smell you coming."

Mamoru fumed silently. "Impertinent little brat," he snarled. "You don't deserve to wear the Crest of Friendship."

"You don't know what Friendship is," Diamamon thundered. "You never did. Now stand aside, Mamoru, and let us pass."

"I don't think so," Mamoru hissed. "I'm under strict orders to obtain Dragumon. Where is she?"

Matt and Gabumon looked at each other. "What in the world is he talking about?" Matt whispered. "I thought they already _had_ Dragumon."

"He mentioned the hold over Dragumon was broken," murmured Diamamon quietly. Before anyone could ask what he meant, he focused on Mamoru. "Let us pass, Mamoru – we don't have the Desti-Digimon of Love."

"Liars!" shouted Mamoru. "Why should I believe you?"

"If you don't believe my bark," Diamamon said, "then you must believe my bite. **Cobra Strike!**"

Chapter Nine

"Mezzomon!"

The combined voices of Dracomon and Dragumon shook the large room as the rescue party ran through the doorway. There, lying in the middle of the room on his side, barely breathing, was the Desti-Digimon of Hope. His eyes were closed, and his breaths came in short gasps. His fur was wet and matted with sweat. 

At the sound of the familiar voices, he slowly opened his eyes. "Draco?" he asked weakly. "Dragu? Is it really you?"

Dracomon hurried over to his fallen friend. "Yes, Mezzo, it's us," he said. "Don't speak – conserve your strength. Once we reunite you with the crest, you'll be fine."

Mezzomon gasped in another breath. "Shigeru . . . isn't . . . here," he managed to whisper. "I . . . don't know . . . where . . . he went. He . . . said he . . . wasn't . . . going . . . to lose . . . again."

A shudder passed through Mezzomon's body, and his eyes closed. "Mezzomon?" Dragumon called, her voice quivering. "_Mezzomon?_"

"He's unconscious," Izzy said, placing a hand on the shaggy neck. 

"What did he mean, he wasn't going to lose again?" Sora asked, looking at Dragumon. 

"I don't know," she murmured. "Unless . . ."

"The only way for Mezzomon to be completely healed is to be reunited with the Crest of Hope," said Gatomon. 

Suddenly Izzy's digivice began to beep. "What is it, Joe?" Izzy asked. 

"_You guys better get back here, now!_" shouted Joe. "_We've got trouble!_" In the background, Izzy could hear Gomomon and Patamon talking wildly about something.

"What happened, Joe?" Tai demanded.

"_T.K.'s been kidnapped!_"

It's finally done! So that was the fourth part of Digi-Destiny. Let me know what you think. Unless I get reviews, I won't post #5, so if you want to find out what happens next let me know. Until then, check out this little review:

Next time on:

DIGI-DESTINY

Rely on Me

Shigeru has T.K. Mezzomon's fading fast. Matt, Cobramon, and Gabumon are badly injured. 

Joe is determined to make up for failing T.K. He and Gomomon go off on their own in search of the missing Digi-Destined of Hope, and begin to follow a trail of bread crumbs left by an unknown stranger. But does this stranger want to help them . . . or kill them?


	5. Rely On Me

Digi-Destiny #5

RELY ON ME

Chapter One

"You let that creep Shigeru kidnap my brother?" Matt shouted. He clenched his fist, as if he were going to strike out at Joe, but thought better of it when pain lanced through his arm. "How could you do something so stupid?!"

"Calm down, Yamato," Cobramon said, nudging his friend with his snout. "We were all run pretty ragged. There was nothing any of us could do. At least we have Mezzo."

"But we don't have T.K.!" Matt shouted. 

"Matt, shut-up!" snapped Tai. "We all know how upset you are about this, but blaming Joe isn't going to help. None of us could've stopped this."

"If only I hadn't been fighting Mamoru, maybe I would've . .."

"No," Dragumon said, her voice strong and quiet. "No, Yamato, you mustn't think that. We know how much you love your brother, but right now, doubting yourself isn't going to help him. We must be strong – for Takeru." She looked down at the black and red Digimon lying unconscious next to her. "And for Mezzomon."

Dracomon also looked at Mezzomon. "I wish he would wake up," he sighed. "He might be able to help us find Takeru."

Kari gently stroked Mezzomon's fur. "Where do you think Shigeru took T.K.?" she asked.

Dragumon shook her head. "I don't know, Hikari. I haven't got any idea."

While the others discussed the events with each other, Joe and Gomomon sat silently off to one side of the cave. The rain had long since stopped, and the two watched as the sun dried the area around them. "What are you thinking, Joe?" Gomomon asked.

"Matt's right," he said. "It _is_ all my fault. I should've been watching T.K. better. He wouldn't be in the hands of that Inversed if it weren't for me."

"Oh, Joe," murmured Gomomon. "Hey, you aren't going to good off on your own again, are you?"

Joe didn't answer.

Gomomon sighed. "Well, I might as well go with you and make sure you don't get in any trouble."

Half an hour later, Izzy looked around the cave. "Hey, where'd Joe and Gomomon go?"

By the time the others had realized the two had gone off, Joe and Gomomon were already halfway into the forest. They had decided against going through the desert, which was probably a very good idea. 

"Hey, Gomomon, do you have any idea where we're going?" Joe asked.

Gomomon shook his head. "No. I thought you did."

Joe sighed. "I'm just walking in the direction that Shigeru took T.K. Of course, we lost sight of the cave a long time ago. We're probably going to get lost."

"Don't think like that, Joe," chided Gomomon. "But you know what's been bothering me? I haven't seen any Digimon since we left the cave. I wonder where they all went."

Joe wiped off his glasses – which were beginning to fog up from the strange mist that was floating around them – and looked around. "You're right," he said. "There aren't any Digimon."

"Of course I'm right," said Gomomon. "Whoa, Joe, stop for a second. That looks like a building over there."

"Over where?"

"You're looking in the wrong direction. Over to your left. See?"

Joe caught sight of the small, rundown shed then. "I doubt Shigeru would've taken T.K. there," he said. "We should keep going."

"You never know," said Gomomon. "We should check all possible places before excluding anything." He began moving in the direction of the shed.

Joe shook his head, but followed his friend anyway. It didn't take long to search the shed – there was only one room, and it wasn't in very good condition. It was also very empty. "Oh, well," Gomomon said cheerfully. "Let's keep going."

Something on the wall of the shed caught Joe's eye. "Gomomon – what do you make of that?"

"Huh?" Then, "Weird." 

Etched into the wood was a large arrow. At first glance, it just appeared to be part of the wood grain, but when you looked closer, you could see that it had been placed there long after the shed had been built, and not that far into the past, either. 

"It points right," Joe said. He looked at Gomomon. "What do you think?"

"I think we should go left," said Gomomon. "It's probably a trap."

Joe nodded. "You're probably right. Come on. We'll go left." 

Approximately five minutes after the partners had gone left of the shed, the arrow glowed a light purple. When the glow cleared, it now pointed left. 

"You idiot," growled Makoto. "Why didn't you just kill the brat when you had the chance?"

Shigeru glared at him. "I kill Takeru, Mezzomon regains his strength. We keep them apart, they both deteriorate."

"Without Takeru, Mezzomon is free for us," Kaede snarled. "So I say kill the brat and take the Desti-Digimon of Hope for ourselves."

"You're just bent out of shape because Dragumon got away from us," muttered Mamoru.

Kaede whirled on him. "Who was it who didn't want Cobramon to digivolve? As if you could've stopped it. I noticed they broke out of the freeze."

"I'd still like to know how they managed that," Mamoru growled. 

Kozou looked up from where he was keeping a silent watch on the crystal casket that contained the sleeping form of T.K. "Shut up, everyone. They're approaching the lava crevices."

Everyone turned to the viewing circle that hovered above the ground. In the middle of the circle was the image of Joe and Gomomon walking along a dirt path. 

"They're walking away from the Forest," Makoto said. "Good."

Kozou frowned. "If they get past the crevices, they have another chance at the Forest. There's a second path. It's dangerous, but I don't doubt that once they start on that path, they won't be deterred."

"Then we better make sure they don't get that far," Makoto said.

Kozou nodded. "I'll go there myself. It's my turn to get some of this action." He held his scythe in his hand and twirled it around in his hand – not an easy feat. "Reliability better watch out. Distrust has arrived."

"We have to find Joe," Mimi said. "Where could he have gone?"

Dragumon shook her head. "It seems young Joe may be taking this harder than suspected. He's probably gone to find Takeru."

"We have to go after them!" Tai shouted. "He could get killed!"

"No, Taichi!" Cobramon hissed, stretching out in front of the boy. "You would only be putting _yourself_ at risk. Joe has gone in the direction of the Forest."

Dragumon and Dracomon's gasps were audible. Everyone else just looked absolutely confused. "What forest?" Sora asked.

"The Forest of Tears," the three Desti-Digimon chorused at the same time. 

This time, the reaction was more audible. Everyone reacted to some degree – the humans because they remembered the name from Dracomon's discussion of the sacred points, and the Digimon because the Forest of Tears was a famous legend.

"It's supposed to be haunted," shuddered Biyomon. "They say that late at night, you can hear the screams of enraged ghosts."

"I was there once," Gatomon recalled. "I was scared stiff – I never spent another night."

"I hear an entire troupe of Gotsumon disappeared in there," Agumon whispered. Gabumon nodded in agreement.

Cobramon, Dragumon, and Dracomon looked at each other, blinked, and burst out laughing.

Everyone stopped looking scared out of their minds. "What?" Matt demanded. "What's so funny?"

"Those so-called ghosts," Cobramon said, "wouldn't happen to sound like Birdramon being burned to death, would they?"

"You could say that," Palmon agreed.

"They aren't ghosts," explained Dracomon. "In fact, if I'm not mistaken – those shrieks are none of than Katrimon. In which case, Joe and Gomomon are the safest out of all of us."

"Katrimon?" Once again, each Digimon seemed to know what was going on, and each human just sank lower and lower into confusion.

"The Desti-Digimon of Reliability," explained Dragumon. "The last time we saw him was . . . what, one week before we were sealed away?"

Cobramon nodded. "Him and Avimon. They went in search of the legendary Sword of Destiny."

Dracomon growled low in his throat. "Rumored to rival, even surpass the power of the Sword of Courage. It's only a legend."

Dragumon looked at him in surprise. "Only a legend? You're just saying that because you don't like the thought of anything taking on the Sword of Courage and possibly defeating it."

Dracomon narrowed his eyes at her. "You'd feel the same away if there was a bow and arrow that rivaled the Arrows of Love."

"What are they talking about?" Kari whispered to Tai.

Tai shrugged. "I haven't got any idea." 

Izzy looked at Cobramon. "Care to explain?"

Cobramon nudged his friends. "I think it's time we came clean with our friends. Gather around everyone . . . it's story time."

"We need to find T.K," Matt growled.

"Rely on Joe," Cobramon said, settling down and getting comfortable. "We'll tell you about the Destiny Weapons. _Your_ weapons."

"Not long ago," Dracomon said, looking at the group assembled in front of him, "I mentioned to you four keys: The Desti-Digimon, the Digivices and Crests, the Sacred Places, and the Destiny Weapons. These are the four keys that, once combined, contain the full power of the Digi-Destined."

"If these four keys are combined, then the bearer of the virtue is entrusted with power beyond belief," Dragumon said. "For example: I am the Desti-Digimon of Love. In order for the full power of the Digi-Destined of Love – you, Sora – to be unlocked, then I, Sora, the Crest of Love, and the Arrows of Love must be in the Caves of Ai at the same moment in time. It's the same for the other eight."

"There are eight weapons total," Cobramon said. "The Sword of Courage; the Arrows of Love; the Boomerangs of Friendship; the Staff of Knowledge; the Whip of Light; the Magic of Hope; the Chakram of Sincerity; and the Scythe of Reliability."

"These eight weapons were supposedly sealed away in an ancient labyrinth guarded by Centaurumon," continued Dracomon. "This was to keep Muertamon from taking them for his own twisted purposes. But apparently, the weapons were unable to be guarded, and have fallen into the wrong hands."

"What do you mean?" Mimi asked. "How could you know that?"

Cobramon sighed. "Because we have seen the Destiny Weapons," he replied. "You have seen them, too."

Tai's eyes widened. "Makoto's sword – _that's_ the Sword of Courage?"

"Twisted to suit his own demands," confirmed Dragumon. "In fact, you have no idea how close we came to losing the power of Love completely. Kaede has the Arrows of Love, twisted into the Arrows of Hate, she had me, she had the Caves of Ai, and she has the Crest of Hate. It was only that she had no digivice that she was stopped from unleashing the true power of hatred."

"No digivice?" Sora asked, confused.

"She needs _your_ digivice," Dragumon replied. "And to get it . . . she must kill you. And that is why the Inversed-Destined are so bent on destroying you. They need your digivices."

"Is it just me, or is it getting increasingly hot around here?" Joe complained as he and Gomomon continued their search for T.K. 

Gomomon panted beside him, finding it harder and harder to move. "I don't think it's you," he said. "We're nearing the lava crevices."

Joe froze. "L—lava crevices?"

Gomomon nodded. "All sorts of Fire Digimon live in this area. Not a good place for a Water Digimon like myself."

"I don't think this is such a good idea," Joe said, turning around. "Maybe we should go back."

His partner nodded. "Yeah. You might be right."

"Leaving so soon?"

The voice startled both of them into looking back at the crevices. Perched on a rock on the opposite side was a tall boy, with white hair and sparkling red eyes. But there was nothing kind in his expression – it was total malice. In his hands rested a long staff, and on the end, a wicked sharp-looking blade curved out from the top.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the boy said, standing up. He was almost six feet tall. "My name is Kozou, and I am the Inversed-Destined of Distrust. It's a pleasure to meet you, Joe Kido."

Joe wiped the steam of his glasses and tried his best to glare at Kozou. "I can't say the same," he said. "Why don't you come over on this side if you want to fight?"

Kozou grinned. "Oh, I don't want to fight."

That stopped both of them. "You don't?" asked Gomomon suspiciously.

"Not unless you come over here," Kozou said. "In which case I'll be forced to destroy you. Stay on your side of the crevices . . . and I'll be content to let you live. For now."

Joe glanced at Gomomon. "So, do we turn around?"

Gomomon glanced behind him. "Hey – what? Joe, the path's gone!" 

Kozou smirked. "Oh, did I forget to mention that little part? If you don't come forward, you'll have to stay exactly where you are."

The lava began to creep out of the crevices.

"And it looks like you'll be in for a very _hot_ surprise if you do."

"Gomomon!" 

"**Gomomon** digivolve to **Ikkakkumon!**"

Chapter Two

"What's the progress on the Digi-Destined of Hope?"

"Everything is going according to the plan. Shigeru is slowly draining the child's energy. And the Digi-Destined of Reliability is separated from the others. He reacted just as you anticipated."

"Good. Have you located the Desti-Digimon of Reliability?"

"Yes. As predicted, he is in the Forest of Tears."

"Excellent. You know what you must do."

"Make certain that the Digi-Destined meets with the Desti-Digimon. Under no circumstances is Kozou to stop them or take the Desti-Digimon for his own."

"Precisely. After this, how many more do we have?"

"The whereabouts of the Desti-Digimon of Knowledge and the Desti-Digimon of Light are still unknown. The Desti-Digimon of Sincerity is still trapped, but it should be no problem assuring the connection."

"Good. Very good. Once the eight children have met with the eight Digimon, the second phase can commence. The Powers are a step closer to being mine."

"What if they find out? They're not stupid."

"They're too busy arguing with one another to even begin to suspect."

Chapter Three

"**Harpoon Torpedo!**" Said attack raced towards Kozou at top speed.

Kozou glanced up at it calmly. He raised his scythe . . . and sliced the torpedo neatly in half.

Ikkakkumon looked at Joe. "That's not good."

Joe shook his head. "That's really not good."

Kozou smirked. "Idiots." The blade in his weapon glowed, and Joe gulped when he thought about what had happened when Mamoru, Makoto, and Keade's weapons had done when they'd glowed in a similar way. 

Joe thought fast. "Wait!"

Kozou paused. "What?"

Joe didn't look at Ikkakkumon. "Don't attack. We surrender."

"Joe?" Ikakkumon stared at his partner. 

Kozou looked suspicious. "Surrender? What makes you think I'll believe you?"

Joe drew in a deep breath. He reached under his shirt and pulled out his Crest. Then he held out his Digivice. Trying not to think about what he was doing, he tossed them on the ground, and they landed near Kozou's feet.

The Inversed-Destined stared at the digivice and crest in shock. Then, cautiously, he reached down and picked them up. The crest dimmed, and the digivice pulsated. A grin curled on his lips, and he pointed his scythe at Ikkakkumon, who immediately dedigivolved into Gomomon. But he didn't stop there – he went down another level, and became Bukamon.

"Reliability, you have no idea what you've just gone," snickered Kozou. "Come with me."

Joe reached down and picked up Bukamon. The little Digimon looked at him, betrayal in his eyes. "Maybe he'll lead us to T.K.," Joe whispered. 

They followed the Inversed. 

None of them seemed aware of the shadow floating behind them, which was a good thing, because the shadow didn't want them to know he was there.

"This isn't good," the shadow murmured to itself. "I better keep an eye on them. Thanks, my friend. You were right."

Of course I was. Keep an eye on him. I have someone else to check up on.

Chapter Four

"I'd still like to know why we're just sitting around here instead of going after Joe or searching for T.K.," grumbled Matt.

"Because we can't move Mezzomon, and we can't leave him here," Tai snapped for the tenth time. "Look, Dracomon said that Joe would be fine. And as long as Mezzomon's alive, so's T.K. We can afford to wait. It won't do us any good to go _looking_ for trouble."

Izzy listened to the argument with one ear, but mostly concentrated on his laptop. He was still trying to figure out why he couldn't get a message through to Gennai. He had a lot of questions for the old man, and he wanted answers. 

"Something's bothering you."

Izzy looked up and found himself staring at Dragumon. "Not really," he said, looking back at the screen. "I'm just trying to contact our friend Gennai."

Dragumon settled beside him and looked at the screen as well. "An interesting device," she said. 

"It comes in handy," Izzy said absently. "How's Mezzomon?"

"No change." Dragumon sighed. "I suppose that's a good thing, because it means Takeru is still alive . . . but perhaps Yamato is correct in saying that we shouldn't stay here when we could be looking for the others. We're in a race against time, and we can't afford to waste any of it."

"But if we move Mezzomon, won't he be put in even greater danger?" Sora had heard Dragumon's comments, and now she and Biyomon joined the Desti-Digimon and Izzy. "I guess we could think about splitting up again, but I doubt Dracomon and Tai would be thrilled about the idea."

Dragumon sighed. "I just don't know anymore," she murmured. "If only we had the Magic of Hope . . . then we could heal Mezzomon easily."

"But didn't you say Shigeru had the Magic?" asked Biyomon.

Dragumon nodded sadly. 

"I hope they're okay," whispered Sora. "I'm getting a very bad feeling about all of this."

"As am I, Sora," Dragumon said. "As am I."

Izzy couldn't think of anything to say to comfort Sora, so he turned back to his computer and began typing. He stifled a yawn that was trying to force his way out. _I should probably sleep soon_, he thought. But he continued to type.

Chapter Five

"Get in there and keep quiet," snarled Kozou as he shoved Joe and Bukamon into a darkened cell. He pulled the door shut and locked it.

Something glowed behind them, and Joe and Bukamon turned around.

"It's T.K!" gasped Joe, running towards the crystal that encased the missing Digi-Destined. Joe was stunned at how pale he appeared. He didn't seem to be breathing, either. Then, slowly, T.K.'s chest rose. It was another four minutes before it fell.

"He's having a hard time breathing," whispered Joe, looking at Bukamon. "We have to get him out of here?"

"How?" demanded Bukamon. "You just handed over your crest and digivice to Kozou."

Joe bit his lip and looked back down at the barely alive form of T.K. "What have I done?" he whispered. 

It was at that moment that the entire room began to shake.

"What in the world?" murmured Bukamon. Joe didn't have time to echo his Digimon before the entire outside wall blew inside. T.K.'s crystal shielded both of them from the debris.

Cautiously, Joe peeked over the edge of the crystal.

Outlined by the light streaming into the darkened room was the largest parakeet Joe had ever seen. His feathers were a brilliant green, his beak and feet dark purple. His yellow eyes burned with intensity – and outlined in silver on his wing was the Crest of Reliability.

"It's a Desti-Digimon!" exclaimed Bukamon. "Hiya! I'm Bukamon."

The Desti-Digimon nodded. "Hello, Buka," he softly. "My name is Katrimon. Come. We must go."

"We can't leave T.K.," said Joe, pointing at the crystal. "Mezzomon needs him." 

Katrimon's eyes widened. "So, you've found Mezzo. Very well, then." He spread his wings. "_Feather Dart!_" Several feathers pierced the crystal, which then shattered. Joe just managed to catch T.K. before his body hit the ground. 

"The sooner we reunite Hope the better," Katrimon said. "Come. Get on. I hope neither of you are afraid of heights."

Once Joe, Bukamon, and the unconscious T.K. were settled on Katrimon's back, the Desti-Digimon of Reliability strutted out of the room, flapped his wings, and caught a thermal that immediately raised him into the air.

"That was easy," realized Joe, glancing back at the cave that Kozou had taken them to. "A little too easy. We'll have to come back, you know. Kozou still has my crest and digivice."

Katrimon shuddered. "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

He let out a distressed moan. "Great. Let's concentrate on getting Takeru back to Mezzo first. Then we'll deal with Draco's wrath."

"Why do I get the feeling we're in big trouble?" muttered Bukamon. Joe nodded in agreement.

Chapter Six

"Dragumon?"

Dragumon's eyes sprang open at the sound of the weak voice. She swung her head away from Dracomon and looked at Mezzomon, who was struggling to climb to his feet. "Mezzomon!" she cried loudly, waking up everyone in the cave. "You're awake!"

Mezzomon nodded and pushed himself up. He seemed to be regaining his strength with each passing second. "What happened?" he asked uncertainly. "Did I get us into trouble again?" 

Cobramon let out a laugh. "Did _you_ get us into trouble?" he asked. "Not a chance, Mezzo. It's all Shigeru's fault."

Mezzomon hung his head. "Shigeru?" he whispered. "I'm such a fool."

"Uh, aren't we missing something here?" Izzy asked, looking at everyone. 

"Like what?" asked Mimi.

"Like how Mezzomon managed to recover without T.K.?" 

"He didn't."

The unfamiliar voice caused everyone to freeze. Except, naturally, the Desti-Digimon.

Katrimon strutted into the cave, Joe, Bukamon, and a tired-looking T.K. straggling in behind him. 

"T.K!" shouted Matt, running over and throwing his arms around his younger brother. 

T.K. nodded wearily. "Yeah," he said. "It's me."

Matt frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Just tired," T.K. said softly.

"He took a nap in a Energy Crystal," replied Katrimon, preening his feathers as he talked. "Kozou captured Jyou and Buka, and by following them, they led me straight to Takeru. I flew them back here as soon as I could."

"At least you're all in one piece," Tai said, grinning. "What does this make it now – five Desti-Digimon? Three more to go."

Cobramon, Katrimon, and Mezzomon glanced at each other. "What?" Dracomon asked.

"Nothing," the three of them automatically said.

"You're hiding something."

"No, we're not," the three of them said together again.

"Besides," Katrimon said hastily. "We may have a worse problem on our hands."

"Clarify," Tai said, cutting Dracomon off at the last second.

"Kozou has the Crest of Reliability," said Katrimon. "And Jyou's Digivice."

There was a moment of silence. Then . . . 

"_WHAT?!_"

Chapter Seven

Something landed on the table in front of Makoto.

His eyes widened. "Where did you get these?" he breathed, looking up at Kozou.

Kozou smirked. "That idiot Joe handed them over to me," he said. "I've got him and his Digimon locked up in the crystal chamber." 

Makoto stood up. "Let's go see, then," he suggested. "We can use Joe as bait to draw out Katrimon."

"Too late."

They turned to see Shigeru standing in the doorway, a look of fury twisted on his features. "Katrimon's come and gone," he growled. "Joe, Bukamon, _and_ Takeru are gone."

Makoto and Kozou froze. "You have got to be kidding me."

Shigeru shook his head, and his eyes flashed. "That," he whispered, looking at Makoto, "is the last time I leave you in charge."

"Hey, don't forget who the leader is around here!" snapped Makoto. "I'm Fear, and I'm the boss!"

"Not anymore," Kaede said, joining them. "Shigeru's taking over, and if you have a problem with that, tough." She looped her arm through the Inversed of Despair's. "Deal with it, kid."

Makoto's jaw dropped. "Kaede?" he whispered. Kozou let out a growl low in his throat.

"Bitch," he snarled. 

"If you think I'm going to follow you," Makoto hissed, "you're dead wrong." He reached over and grabbed the Sword of Fear. "I'm out of here."

"Wait for me," said Kozou, snatching up the crest and digivice. Shigeru and Kaede made no move to stop them as they pushed past and out the door. Mamoru entered the hallway just then. 

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"Dumb and Dumber over there are branching out," sneered Kaede. "They've decided that they can't handle Shigeru being in charge."

"When did this happen?" muttered Mamoru, quietly enough so that neither of his companions could hear. He gazed after Kozou and Makoto as they left the cave system. 

"Kaede," Shigeru said the moment they were out of earshot. "Contact Gen, Akane, and Leiko. It's time the six of us had a chat."

"Kozou has Jyou's Digivice?" demanded Dracomon.

"That's what I said, Draco," Katrimon replied.

"I don't get it," Joe said. "What does it matter? He can't use it."

"He can't use it for Reliability," Tai said, shaking his head, "but he can change it and use it for Distrust. That's what these guys say, anyway."

T.K. looked at Patamon. "Is that true?" he asked.

Patamon nodded. "We were discussing it earlier," he said. 

"We have to get them back," Matt said. "Otherwise Bukamon can't digivolve back into Gomomon and then we're in big trouble."

Suddenly Mezzomon let out a gasp. He bolted to the cave entrance in the blink of an eye. "I guess his strength's back," Cobramon said dryly. "Mezzomon's speed is unmatched – except in the winter."

"You!" roared Mezzomon from outside. "What do you want?"

Everyone ran for the entrance, and found Mezzomon locked in a stare-down with Makoto and Kozou. Both had their weapons brandished, but neither made a move to attack the Desti-Digimon.

"Makoto," snarled Dracomon.

Makoto nodded – and tossed his Sword onto the ground. He motioned for Kozou to do the same, and a second later the Scythe of Distrust joined the first weapon. 

"We need to talk," said Makoto.

Chapter Eight

__

"Hello, Katrimon."

Katrimon twisted his head around to see the sleek white form of Avimon prancing towards him. "Hello, Avi," he said. "Shouldn't you be with Mezzo?"

Avimon shook out her mane and stretched her wings. "Mezzo's with Shigeru again," she said. 

"You're worried."

She pawed gently at the ground with her hoof. "Is it that obvious?"

Katrimon nodded. "You think that what Imagi said is true – about how if we go up against Muertamon now, we'll never survive."

"It would make sense," Avimon reminded him. "This Ultimate Power could stop Muertamon once and for all."

"Yes, but are you_ going to be the one to tell Leiko that we should search for it?" asked Katrimon dryly. "I wouldn't dare mentioned it to Kozou."_

"That's not what I had in mind." She glanced around, and then lowered her voice. "When I was younger, I remember hearing stories about the ultimate sword, a sword that rivaled the power of the Sword of Courage. I think I know we're it's supposed to be hidden, too."

Katrimon caught on and widened his eyes. "Are you suggesting we abandon our partners and go search for this sword?" he whispered.

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting, Katrimon," she said. "You and I are the only ones capable of flying in the area that I'm thinking of. Dracomon and Dragumon wouldn't stand a chance with all the thermals around."

"Have you mentioned this to Imagi?"

"Knowing him, he already knows," said Avimon. "What do you say?"

Katrimon glanced nervously back at camp. "All right, all right. I can see that you're going to go anyway – I might as well come along to keep you company."

"Great," Avimon said enthusiastically. "Follow me."

"So that's the story in short," Makoto said, focusing only on Dracomon and Tai. Kozou, meanwhile, glanced around at the Desti-Digimon surrounding him and Makoto with undisguised hostility. "Shigeru has taken over, and Kozou and I have left the Inversed."

"That still doesn't explain why you came to us," snapped Tai. "We're not exactly the best of friends, you know."

Makoto nodded. "We know. And neither Kozou nor I wish to make an alliance with you. As of now, neither of us have a chance of attacking Shigeru and the others and coming out alive. Kozou could easily manipulate Katrimon, however, it takes time and preparation to change the Digivice. There is no time."

As if on queue, Kozou tossed said Digivice and the Crest of Reliability to Joe. 

"Take these," Makoto said. "And listen closely. As we speak, Shigeru is gathering Darkness, Absurdity, and Duplicity. You have three more Desti-Digimon to gather – one is already under the control of Duplicity." Cobramon gasped. "Also. The key to Knowledge is repose. The true power can't be unleashed unless all eight versions of the four keys are unlocked. Shigeru doesn't know this."

"Quit talking in riddles!" snapped Matt. "Be serious for once."

"He is being serious," said Mezzomon. " 'The key to Knowledge is repose – true power cannot be unleashed until the four of each eight are unlocked.' That's the Destiny Prophecy."

Kozou nodded. "We'll leave you to your own devices now. Here." He walked up to Joe and handed him the Scythe of Distrust. Joe's hand closed around it. "It'll be awhile before you can use it, but it'll be useful to you." 

Makoto nodded and handed the Sword of Fear to Tai. "There are a lot of questions we can't answer, but we've done our best. Stop Shigeru for us."

"Not for you," said Tai, taking the Sword. "For the fate of the two worlds."

"Again," added Agumon. 

Chapter Nine

"What do you mean, Fear and Distrust have been lost?"

"Just what I said. They have left the Inversed. This isn't the way it was supposed to happen."

"No. Their Crests are beginning to die. They may need proper persuasion. And Duplicity?"

"Laciomon has been acquired."

"This isn't good. Things are beginning to fall apart."

"Shall I correct this problem?"

"Do it."

"Yes, sir."

Pause.

"Well?"

"We may have another problem. Courage and Reliability have regained their weapons."

". . . WHAT?"

"Fear and Distrust turned them over approximately thirty minutes ago."

"Then they are truly lost. We can no longer count on Makoto and Kozou to finish this."

"Any plans on how to handle this further?"

"Yes."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Reunite Light and Sincerity."

"I was planning on it. What about Despair?"

"What about him?"

"He's allied himself with Hate. They'll make a powerful team."

"Yes. Well, then, correct this problem as well."

"May I make a request?"

"What?"

"I will correct the problem of Hate and Despair – so long as I may do it according to my own desires."

"Of course. Just make certain it gets done."

"What exactly did Makoto mean by, 'The key to Knowledge is repose?" Sora asked.

"What's repose?" Mimi wondered.

"Beat's me," said Palmon.

"It's another word for sleep," said Izzy from where he was diligently working on his computer.

"Izzy, what are you doing over there, anyway?" demanded Tai.

Izzy looked up. "I'm trying to see if I can pinpoint the exact locations of the last three Desti-Digimon. What are their names – Avimon, Imagimon, and . . .?"

"Laciomon," finished Dragumon, stepping up behind him. "I see. You're using the same program you used to find Cobramon."

Izzy nodded. 

"Well, if the key to Knowledge is sleep, then does that mean Izzy should sleep?" T.K. asked. 

"I can't sleep now," Izzy said. "I'm getting closer and closer all the time."

Tentomon looked at his friend. "Izzy, if you sleep, you might be able to bring us closer to the next Desti-Digimon." 

Izzy stopped typing and sighed. "All right. When my laptop beeps, the locations should be found. Wake me up when that happens." He stretched out on the ground. "I'm really not that tired – it may be awhile before I fall asleep."

"Just do your best," Dragumon said. "We'll be here when you wake up."

"She acts just like a mother, doesn't she?" Biyomon said quietly.

"It's because she's the Crest of Love personified," Gabumon replied. "She can't help it. It's her nature."

Biyomon nodded. "Do you feel jealous of Cobramon, Gabumon?"

"Jealous?"

"Yes." She looked downcast. "It seems like Sora is paying more attention to Dragumon than she is to me. Every time a new Desti-Digimon is found, the other Digimon seems to take a backseat."

Agumon and Gabumon looked at their partners, who were locked in a quiet discussion with Dracomon and Cobramon. "I've noticed that," said Agumon. "But Gomomon and Patamon don't seem to feel the same way."

"That's because Katrimon and Mezzomon haven't been around that long," said Gabumon. 

Gatomon listened silently to their conversation. _What are they talking about?_ she thought. _Why are they being so jealous? Something isn't right here._

On the other side of the cave, Izzy slowly closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Darkness fell across a large run-down structure. 

This same structure slowly began to glow a deep purple. 

A shadowed figure floated gently above said purple structure.

It's time.

"I know."

It's done! Let me know what you think of this latest installment. I'll try to get the next part out soon.

Before I move on to the preview, I'd just like to add a little thank-you here: Kyra, thanks for all the support you've given me. I doubt I would've been able to get this far without it. J

NEXT TIME ON:

DIGI-DESTINY

THE SINCEREST WISH

With Izzy falling into a deep slumber, the Digi-Destined are once again down a team member. Although determined not to leave their friend alone, when Izzy's program locates the Desti-Digimon of Sincerity – now the Desti-Digimon of Duplicity – they go off with hopes of regaining Laciomon as they'd regained Dragumon. 

But they don't expect the Inversed of Duplicity to be as cunning as she is. 

Hurry up, Izzy – you're friends can't do this without you!


	6. The Sincerist Wish

Digi-Destiny #5

THE SINCERIST WISH

Chapter One

The ancient Coliseum glowed with a brilliant purple light, standing out among the darkness of the night. Several Digimon crowded around it, knowing that something momentous was about to happen, and yet all of them too afraid to come closer.

In fact, only one Digimon dared to near the Coliseum. She was a tall Digimon, a brilliant Pegasus-like who's beauty shocked and amazed most Horse Digimon. Even the Unimon looked up to her. She had been waiting for the moment when this light would shine within this Sacred Place. The Coliseum was all that was left of the eight. Mirror Lake had been lost earlier. 

"We don't have much time," she said to the figure standing in the center of the Coliseum.

"I know," the figure replied. "I can feel him. Soon, the connection will be complete, and the new Guardian will be acquired. You do realize that there is more at stake here than just the Digital World, don't you?"

"Yes," she replied. "I know the duties that are laid down upon Knowledge. Gen didn't accept these duties."

"Gen was a fool," the figure said harshly. He drew in a deep breath. "It's almost time. Leave me now, and go find the others. They will attempt to go after Laciomon, but unless you can get there in time, they won't stand a chance. Only Light can tame the Duplictic beast."

"I _know_ that," she said with an edge. "Don't worry – I'll get there in time. You just concentrate on making the connection."

She turned away and opened her wings, ready to catch the next updraft and take to the skies. She was stopped by her friend's voice.

"Avimon."

Avimon turned her head and looked at him. "Yes, Imagimon?"

"The Sword of Courage and the Scythe of Reliability have been recovered," Imagimon said. "But the other six are still lost to us. Akane has the Chakram – if she uses it on Mimi, all will be lost. Also remember – it's not time for you to reveal yourself yet."

Avimon nodded. "I'll take care of it," she said softly. "Be careful, Imagimon. For you, for Koushiro, for the Digital World, and for the entire Amethyst Dimension. May the light of the astral plane shine upon you."

"Thank you."

The updraft came, and Avimon took off.

"The first thing we need to do is find out where Laciomon is supposed to be," Tai said. "Tentomon, how's Izzy's program coming along?"

Tentomon peered at the screen. "It seems to be working just fine. We should have information in about ten minutes or so." He glanced at his sleeping partner. "And would you all keep it down a little? Izzy's hardly slept at all lately, and he's finally getting the rest he deserves."

"Just how long is he going to be asleep?" Mimi asked, brushing a long strand of hair out of her eyes. "We can't wait for him all day."

Dracomon sighed. "Koushiro may be asleep for quite some time," he said. "I can't get into it now, but providing everything goes okay, once he wakes up we just might have what we need to defeat Muertamon."

"You know, something about this whole situation bugs me," Matt said from where he was leaning against the wall of the cave.

"How so, Matt?" Gabumon asked, looking at his friend.

"Well, if Muertamon is the one in charge of the Inversed-Destined, why haven't we seen more of him?" Matt looked around at his friends. "I mean, there was that time when we were trying to track down Dragumon, but since then it's mostly just been the Inversed. And now they've split apart. What exactly is going on here?"

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," Gabumon said, trying to soothe his friend's nerves. "Remember when we were fighting Myotismon? He used his minions a lot. That's probably just what Muertamon is doing."

Cobramon didn't look as certain. "No, Yamato's got a point," the Snake Digimon said. "Muertamon isn't the type to let others do his work. He's a real hands-on kind of guy. And if he's not around, his second-in-command, Batmon, usually is."

"But we haven't seen Muertamon once, and Batmon only a couple times," murmured Dracomon. "What about you three?"

Dragumon tapped her claws on the floor. "Well, Batmon showed up once in awhile while I was with Kaede, but only to ask what the Inversed's next move was going to be."

"If he showed up while Shigeru was around, you couldn't ask me to prove it," Mezzomon said as he snuggled closer to T.K. and Patamon. The three had become close friends and were now trying to keep warm. Kari and Gatomon were also taking advantage of Mezzomon's soft fur. 

"I haven't seen him," Katrimon said.

Dracomon sighed. "Taichi?"

Tai bit his lip thoughtfully. "We can't spend too much time worrying about it. We have to find Laciomon first. The minute we get a location, we're heading out. Tentomon, think you can keep an eye on Izzy by yourself?"

"Count on me," Tentomon said.

"Are you sure we should leave him alone?" Sora asked worriedly.

"We don't have a choice," said Joe. "We need all the firepower we can get. Remember, Laciomon's on the Inversed's side now."

"If we can believe what Makoto and Kozou said," Agumon reminded everyone.

"We can," Dracomon replied. Everyone but Gatomon missed the glare that Agumon gave the larger Digimon. "Makoto and Kozou may not be the most pleasant people in the world, but they've never told a lie in their lives."

"I'm getting bored, Master. Why can't we just go after them now?"

Akane rolled her eyes and looked up at the water serpent. "Because it's better if they come _here._" She ran her finger along the sharp edge of her Chakram, and smiled as blood welled up in the small cut. "By luring the Digi-Destined to Mirage Lake, all we need to do is retrieve Mimi's Digivice. Then Duplicity can reign supreme." She smirked. "So simple."

Laciomon focused her emerald eyes on her master. "I see," she said softly. "Do you suppose they'll bring Cobramon with them?"

Akane groaned and leaned back against the rock she was sitting on, looking at Laciomon upside-down. "You really have to get over that pompous snake, Lacio," she said. "He's one of _them_."

"I know, but . . ." Lacio ducked her head until it was level with the water. "But I miss him. Maybe if we could turn him over to the side of Enemies . . ."

"Forget it!" Akane snapped. "Mamoru tried that already – Cobramon decided he'd be better off with that fool Yamato." A malicious spark appeared in her eyes. "If you want someone to blame for keeping your crush from you . . . you should go after Yamato Ishida."

Laciomon's eyes glowed slightly. "Yamato," she murmured. "The one who holds Friendship."

"So, I'll take care of Mimi, and you can get your revenge on Yamato," Akane said casually, running her hands through her wet hair. "Sound good?"

"Sounds really good," Laciomon agreed. "Can I go get something to eat so that I'm ready when they get here?"

"Sure," Akane said, smiling. Laciomon quickly dove into the bottomless lake, and Akane's smile became a sneer. "Foolish serpent."

Chapter Two

"You okay up there, Takeru?" Mezzomon asked the young boy riding on his back. Night had fallen, and even though several members of the group had complained about it, everyone minus Tentomon and Izzy were moving stealthily through the Forest of Tears, towards Mirage Lake which lay in the center of the gigantic spread of trees. 

"I'm fine, Mezzomon," T.K. said, patting the Digimon's neck. "Patamon's fine, too, right, Patamon?"

Patamon sighed sleepily and nodded. He'd made himself a little nest in Mezzomon's fur. Gatomon was curled up beside him, and Kari was nodding off herself. 

"Mezzomon doesn't seem to mind carrying all four of them," Tai commented to Dracomon. 

"That's because Mezzomon's always had a soft spot for kids," Dracomon said. "When we were younger, he used to always hang out at Primary Village. He was the only one Elecmon would let near the babies without supervision."

Tai laughed. "Really? We met Elecmon. He's pretty, uh, protective."

Dragumon giggled. "You don't know the half of it," she said impishly. "Right, Draco?"

As Dracomon's red scales turned redder, Sora asked, "What happened?" 

"Well," Dragumon said, "it all started when . . ."

"Gabumon, what's wrong?" Matt asked, looking at his partner. "Something's bothering you. And I think it has something to do with Cobramon. Things would be a lot easier if we just rode on his back like he offered. Why are you being so stubborn?"

"If you want to ride on that overgrown snake, be my guest," Gabumon said grouchily. "I prefer to have both feet on the ground."

"You're being a big baby . . ."

Mimi looked at Cobramon. Since Matt and Gabumon had opted to walk, she and Palmon had graciously accepted Cobramon's offer for a ride. "What's with those two?" she said softly so as not to disturb Palmon. 

Cobramon sighed. "Well, I'm afraid Gabu there seems to be experiencing what we Digimon commonly refer to as . . . jealousy. I think he's feeling a bit left out because Yamato and I have been spending so much time together since I joined this party."

"That's ridiculous," Mimi said. "Matt hasn't been ignoring Gabumon – if he were ignoring him, he wouldn't be walking on the ground with him right now. Not that I'm complaining: this way I don't have to walk." She smiled to show that she was kidding.

Cobramon, who had excellent eyesight and could see her even with her riding on his head, smiled a fanged smile. "Actually, I was going to offer you and Palmon a ride anyway. Call it respect for a good friend."

"Would that be the Desti-Digimon of Sincerity?" Mimi asked. "Laciomon?"

"Yes," Cobramon said, his voice suddenly dropping in volume. "Yes, it would. . ."

"Poor Cobra," Katrimon said as he, Joe, and Gomomon floated above their friends. Katrimon was the only one who was small enough to gain height and stay afloat at night. He was very familiar with flying in the Forest's dense trees. "He's misses Lacio."

"The Digimon we're on our way to find?" Gomomon asked.

"Yes," Katrimon replied. "You see, Lacio and Cobra are good friends – perhaps more than friends, I don't know. Imagi would know, but then, Imagi knows everything. Comes with being psychic. Anyway, this whole thing with Lacio being controlled by Duplicity has got to be tearing Cobra up inside." He eyed his forlorn friend. "I just hope he doesn't lose it if we end up having a fight on our hands."

Joe and Gomomon looked at each other, both of them remembering what had happened when Dracomon and Dragumon had been forced to face off against each other. The odds of Cobramon being able to face Laciomon in a battle were even worse, considering the Desti-Digimon of Friendship's carefree and slightly naïve attitude. 

Kozou turned to Makoto. "We can't just keep running like this," he said to his friend. "You know that, Makoto."

Makoto leaned against a tree and ran his hand through his dark hair. "I know, Kozou," he said, looking at his albino-colored companion. "I just . . . I can't get over the sight of seeing Kaede with Shigeru." He shook his head. "We've all changed so much. Okay, maybe we weren't perfect examples of our traits when we had the original crests, but still, we were a lot better than we are now." He clutched the Crest of Fear and narrowed his eyes. "This thing has caused me so much trouble lately."

"But if it weren't for us accepting these Crests," Kozou said, obviously troubled, "we would still be dead."

"Death is better than becoming what we're not!" Makoto shouted. He unhooked the Crest from around his neck. "I wish I'd never even seen this thing before. Then maybe Kaede . . ." With an angry growl, he threw the Crest with all his might and watched it disappear over the edge of the cliff they were walking along. 

Kozou's eyes were wide, and he looked at his own Crest. "You're right," he said softly. "What good have these done us? Without the Scythe and the Sword, they're useless anyway." He removed the Crest of Distrust from around his own neck, and tossed it over the edge, not with as much fury as Makoto, but clearly with as much finality in his decision. 

"Now what?" Kozou turned to look at Makoto.

"Why are you looking at me?" Makoto asked.

"Because you're the leader," a new voice said. Both spun around to see Mamoru walked towards them.

"Mamoru?!" Makoto and Kozou gasped.

The Inversed of Enemies yanked his Crest of the chain around his neck, dropped it to the ground, stepped on it, then kicked the pieces over the side of the cliff. "I got sick and tired of Shigeru's attitude," Mamoru said, crossing his arms. "I'm not the wimpy moron you thought you knew."

Makoto couldn't help grinning. "I see that," he said. 

Mamoru fingered his boomerang gently. "I'm going to miss this thing," he murmured, "but Yamato needs it more than I do. What do you say we go track them down and deliver it?"

"And maybe we can help them out in the process," Kozou mused. 

Makoto nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Mamoru? You wouldn't happen to know where we could find the Digi-Destined right now, would you?"

"Mirage Lake," Mamoru said quickly. "They're going after Laciomon and Akane."

"Hold up here, everyone," Dracomon said, coming to a stop. "All right, everyone off."

"Why?" asked Agumon. "I don't see the lake anywhere." His voice was laced with hostility, and Tai glanced at him uncertainly. 

"The lake should be just beyond this cluster of trees," Dragumon answered. "We should approach with extreme caution. According to what we know, Laciomon is under Akane's power. And as we know from personal experience, when one of us is controlled by the Inversed, things can get extremely dangerous."

Cobramon stretched his body out to get his muscles relaxed. "Oh, come on, Dragumon – this is Laciomon we're talking about. She'd never hurt any of us."

Dracomon spun around, and Tai was suddenly thankful that he had gotten off the Dragon Digimon a minute earlier. "That's exactly the sort of attitude that nearly got me killed when I first encountered Dragumon!" he snarled. "Which brings me to my next point. Cobramon, I want you to stay here."

Cobramon's eyes widened. "What? Dracomon, you can't be serious!"

"I'm damn serious," Dracomon said, his voice lowering to a dangerous growl. He looked at Matt. "Yamato, Gabumon – I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay here as well."

"I understand," Matt said, nodding. Gabumon started to say something, but the blond boy clamped his hand over his muzzle. "Gabumon understands, too."

Dracomon nodded. "Does anyone else think they can't handle this?" he asked.

"I don't think Mimi or Pal should go," Katrimon said. "After all, wouldn't they be Akane's primary targets?"

"Very true," Dragumon said, nodding. "However, Katri, without Mimi we don't have a chance of converting Laciomon back to Sincerity. It was Cobramon's interrupted digivolution that cured me, but we can't use him now. So Mimi and the Crest of Sincerity are our only choices. And we need Palmon to guard Mimi."

"Kari, do you want to stay?" asked Tai.

"No way, Tai!" his little sister said. "I'm going! T.K.'s going, so I'm going."

"But T.K. has Patamon _and_ Mezzomon," argued Tai.

"I'll be glad to look after Hikari as well, Taichi," Mezzomon offered shyly. 

Dragumon nodded her approval. "Sounds like a plan. Any objections?"

"You're stealing the show again, Dragu," Dracomon said fondly. "Well, since it looks like no one has any objections, let's go. Jyou, Taichi – I believe you two should be out in the front. You do, after all, have the Destiny Weapons."

Tai looked at Joe, who nodded back. "All right," Tai said. He looked at Agumon. "Ready to fight, buddy?"

Agumon nodded. "Definitely. **Agumon** digivolve to **Greymon!**"

Chapter Three

Akane looked up at the sound of something large crashing through the trees around the lake. "Laciomon, where are you?" she snapped, looking out at the water.

Laciomon's head rose up. "Are they here yet?"

"Yes," Akane said, smirking. She fingered her Chakram. "They're here."

With a huge roar, Dracomon emerged from the trees with Katrimon. Greymon and Ikkakkumon were right behind them, with Tai and Joe brandishing their weapons. Dragumon, Birdramon, Togemon, Mezzomon, Angemon and Angewomon emerged in a semi-circle around the lake.

Akane tossed her hair over her shoulder. "You must be the Digi-Destined," she said, as if the sight of so many Champion Digimon were a normal occurrence for her. "I congratulate you on getting this far."

"Hey, Akane, where's Cobramon?" Laciomon asked, looking around.

Akane gritted her teeth. "Will you shut up about Cobramon for one second, Laciomon? We've got these morons to deal with first."

"The only moron I see here is _you_, Akane," Dracomon growled. 

She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "No one," she whispered, "calls me a moron." The Chakram of Duplicity began to glow bright green. "Understand?"

Dragumon gasped. "Dracomon, _watch out!_" she cried.

The Chakram flew, aiming straight for Tai, Greymon, and Dracomon.

"**Fire Shield!**" Dracomon roared. The wall of flame shot up from the ground – and the Chakram instantly became water and sailed right through it. Startled, Dracomon tried to dive out of the way – but he didn't get two steps before he felt something slice through his leg

With a groan, he fell to the ground, a gash twelve inches deep gushing out bold. The Chakram flew back to Akane, who easily plucked it out of the ground.

"I warned you," she whispered with a strangely serene smile.

Cobramon looked up suddenly. "Dracomon," he whispered.

Matt stood up from where he'd been sitting. "What is it, Cobramon?" he asked. "Is there something wrong?"

"Dracomon's in trouble!" Cobramon exclaimed. "And . . . and something's . . . happening . . ." His voice began to fade in and out, as if he had a volume control attached to it and someone was changing the setting every other second. 

"Gabumon, what's going on?" Matt whispered. "Cobra? Cobramon!"

A strange blue glow began to course through Cobramon's body. At the same time, Gabumon and the Crest of Friendship began to glow the same shade. The glow intensified, until it seemed like they were all just shapes of blue light. 

__

What's going on? Matt thought.

For a few seconds, it was as if he was blind. And then, when the light faded and Matt could finally see straight, he stared in surprise at the two Digimon in front of him.

"What . . . happened to you two?" he demanded.

Chapter Four

"Dracomon!" Dragumon screamed. Forgetting all about Akane and Laciomon, she lunged for her fallen mate. And she would've made it, too – if she hadn't forgotten about Akane and Laciomon.

"**Javelin Ice!**" Several dozen icicles shot out of Laciomon's ice, aiming straight for Dragumon's neck.

"**Meteor Wing!**" Birdramon shrieked, canceling out most of the icicles. The three that made it through embedded themselves in their target. 

"Dragumon!" Sora gasped. "Birdramon, help her!"

Akane spun around and faced Sora. "Shut up," she snarled. Her Chakram began to glow again. 

"Sora, watch out!" Tai shouted. But Sora couldn't move. All she could do was stare at the glowing weapon. The green glow was reflected in her eyes, in an almost mesmerizing way. 

Mimi turned to Togemon. "You have to do something!" she pleaded. "Sora's in trouble!" 

Togemon was watching Laciomon. There was something obviously wrong with the Desti-Digimon. She wasn't attacking, like Dragumon had done openly when she'd been under Kaede's control. She wasn't positioned protectively near Akane's side. Instead, her head hung, as if she couldn't bear to meet the eyes of anyone surrounding them. And every time Akane spoke, she seemed to tremble. It was like she couldn't bear to see her partner acting this way.

"Sorry, Love," sneered Akane, "but your time is up."

"**Needle Spray!**" Togemon reacted swiftly, firing every one of her needles straight at Akane. 

Laciomon dove forward, throwing her long serpent body in front of the offending projectiles. Each of them embedded themselves deep into her scaled skin, just like her icicles had been driven into Dragumon's.

Everyone froze.

Mimi and Togemon stared at Laciomon in disbelief. "I don't believe it," Mimi whispered. 

Perfectly emblazoned in Laciomon's scales was not the green symbol of Duplicity, but rather the tear-dropped shape of Sincerity. 

"Lacio . . .," Katrimon said. She turned her blue eyes to look at the Avian Digimon. "Lacio, why?"

Akane stepped forward smugly, not even seeming to care that her Digimon was half-beached. "Simple," she said. "She trusts me."

"I feel weird."

Matt looked at his Digimon. "That," he said, "is because you're not Gabumon anymore. You just digivolved into Garurumon – without the help of my Digivice!"

Garurumon looked at himself. Matt was right. Somehow, he had managed to digivolve into his Champion form without any provoking. "What is going on here?" Garurumon muttered.

"It's a natural digivolution," Cobramon said.

Or, rather, Diamamon said. 

"You did it, too!" Matt exclaimed. "Now you're an Ultimate Digimon!"

"What does this mean?" Garurumon demanded. 

"It means that for the time being, you're stuck as Garurumon," Diamamon said. "Something's happened to cause the Crest of Friendship to make us both naturally digivolve. In other words, at this time I can no more become Cobramon then you can become Gabumon."

"That could be a problem," Matt said. "Doesn't it mean that the power of my crest is stretched thin now? I mean, before Garurumon had to dedigivolve in order for you to become Diamamon."

"True," Diamamon said, "but if the Crest has grown stronger, then there should be no problem."

"You think the Crest of Friendship has grown stronger?" Garurumon asked. 

"Probably, if it's sustaining both of us," Diamamon said. "But the real question is if it'll hold up in battle."

A loud scream ripped through the air. 

"That's Mimi!" Matt shouted.

"Looks like we're going to get a chance to test that theory," Garurumon growled. "Get on, Matt!"

With Matt seated safely on Garurumon's back, the two Digimon took off towards Mirage Lake and their friends. "I don't like this," Diamamon whispered. "I hope we're not too late."

"I hope you're right," Garurumon and Matt said simultaneously. 

Chapter Five

Once again, everyone was frozen in place. 

Just seconds after the discovery that Laciomon was still under the influence of Sincerity, Akane had launched herself at Mimi and now had her arm wrapped around the younger girl's body, the Chakram pressed against her neck. 

"Laciomon, take out Togemon," Akane snapped.

Laciomon pulled herself up and pushed herself back into the water, clearly in pain but also not wanting to upset her partner. 

"No," Mimi whispered hoarsely. She waited for her Crest to glow, for Togemon to digivolve into Lillymon, but nothing happened. With a sudden flash of realization, Mimi understood what was happening. Because Laciomon was still tied to the Crest of Sincerity, Togemon couldn't siphon off the power she needed to make the next digivolution. 

Akane's fingers closed around the dangling Crest. "This," she whispered, "is mine. You don't deserve it."

"Let me go," whispered Mimi. She was afraid to say too much, with the blade right up against the skin of her throat. "Please. Let me and Togemon go."

"I. Don't. Think. So." Akane's eyes flashed crazily. "Destroy them, Laciomon!" 

"Yes, Master," Laciomon whispered. "I'm sorry, everyone. **Javelin Ice!**"

"**Howling Blaster!**"

"**Cobra Strike!**"

Garurumon's attack knocked the icicles off the path that they were on and sent them into the nearest tree trunk. Diamamon was aiming straight for Laciomon. His hood raised completely, showing off the Crest of Friendship etched in his scales. With a loud hiss, he shot forward at a speed even Mezzomon envied, wrapping the long length of his body around Laciomon's. He stopped when his fangs and poison-tipped tail were just inches from embedding themselves in her. 

Laciomon quivered under the sudden attack. "D-Diamamon," she said shakily. "Wha-what are you doing?"

"If you attack our friends," Diamamon hissed, "then I will attack you. I'm not as naïve and gullible as everyone seems to think."

"There's a problem, master."

"There had better not be. What do you claim this problem is."

"The Desti-Digimon of Friendship has made a natural digivolution."

Silence.

"Master?"

"How. Could. You. Have. Let. This. Happen?" 

"I – I didn't mean for it to happen, master, honest. But there's more."

"What?"

"It seems that the Desti-Digimon of Sincerity was never truly corrupted. Just misguided."

"Then having her turn away from the Inversed is going to be a greater task than anticipated."

"Perhaps."

"Perhaps? You have a plan, then?"

"The Desti-Digimon of Friendship and the Desti-Digimon of Sincerity have always been close companions. It _is_ possible that he might be able to persuade his friend."

"But then we run the risk of having the two join and becoming even more powerful. It's bad enough that Friendship is moving out of our grasp. One more evolution and we'll lose him completely. It's times like this that . . . sacrifices must be made."

"Master?"

"Oh, well. I suppose I can make do with seven out of the eight powers. Destroy Laciomon."

"Yes, master."

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes, master?"

"Don't forget to find Knowledge and Light while you're at it."

Chapter Six

"If you attack Laciomon," Akane said calmly, "I'll slit Mimi's throat."

Suddenly, Matt jumped out from behind a tree behind Akane and Mimi. He reached over her shoulder, grabbed her wrist, yanked the Chakram away from Mimi's throat, then slammed his knee into the small of Akane's back. Akane let out a startled gasp, lost her grip on Mimi, and toppled forward with Matt on top of her. 

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," Mimi whispered.

Akane had fallen directly onto her Chakram. The blade has sliced across her chest, and a pool of blood was already forming. Matt, suddenly realizing what had happened, pushed away from the dead girl with a horrified expression on his face.

"Akane," breathed Laciomon. "Noooo!"

Diamamon strengthened his hold on the hysteric serpent. "Lacio, Lacio, _stop! Stop it!_" he shouted. She froze, and turned her head to look at him. "Lacio, Akane would've killed Mimi. She would've killed all of us. It's over. She's gone. Duplicity is gone – you don't have to be afraid anymore."

"A-afraid?" Laciomon repeated shakily. "But, but I wasn't afraid! Akane was my friend – she's my only friend! You all betrayed me! You sided with the enemy!" She began to struggle. "You killed her! You _killed her!_"

Diamamon let out a growl. "Lacio, _listen to me!_" he roared, doing a perfect imitation of Dracomon. "I don't know what Akane told you, but _she_ betrayed you! She broke away from Sincerity, and broke away from you. You belong with us, Lacio. The Inversed are working for Muertamon, and Muertamon is the enemy. You belong with us, Laciomon." His voice grew gentler and quieter as his words sunk in, and soon she was completely still and silent. He rested his head against her neck. "You belong with me."

"I – I don't understand," Laciomon whimpered. "I don't understand _any_ of this."

"Neither do we," Dragumon said hoarsely. The icicles embedded in her scales were affecting her voice. "There are a lot of unanswered questions. But we can find the answers together."

"Don't talk, Dragumon," Sora said, touching the Desti-Digimon's neck. "We need to get you healed."

"Matt, are you okay?" Tai asked quietly, coming over to his friend.

Matt tore his eyes away from Akane's body and took a deep breath. "Yeah," he said in a low voice. "I am."

Tai didn't believe him for one second, but he knew better then to argue with Matt. Besides, at that moment, someone stepped out of the woods on the a few feet away.

"What the hell happened here?" Makoto, Kozou, and Mamoru exclaimed in unison.

"Shigeru."

The self-proclaimed leader of the Inversed-Destined gritted his teeth as he turned to look at the Digimon standing behind him. "What do _you_ want, Batmon?"

Batmon focused his narrowed eyes on the human. "You should know that Akane's been killed."

Shigeru arched an eyebrow. "Oh? I give those brats credit – I didn't think they had it in them."

"You do realize this doesn't help your team," Batmon said. "With Akane's death and the desertion of Makoto, Kozou, and Mamoru, you're now down to four members – you'll badly outnumbered by the Digi-Destined."

"True, but we also have the Destiny Weapons."

"Four of them," replied Batmon, "and they have the other four. Plus every Desti-Digimon aside from Light and Knowledge. Perhaps it's time for you all to rethink your strategy."

Shigeru crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Batmon. "And I suppose Lord Muertamon has a new strategy for us?"

Batmon nodded. "Indeed he does. Gather your team together and meet me at the base of the monolith. You'll receive your new instructions then."

"Wait a minute . . ." Shigeru started, then stopped when he realized that somehow, Batmon was no longer in the room. "What could Muertamon possibly have in mind?" he murmured to himself. 

"I don't believe it," Mamoru murmured as he looked at the fallen form of Akane. "After all this – she's finally out of her misery."

"What do you mean?" Mimi asked. She'd tried her best not to look at the dead Inversed, but now she looked at Mamoru curiously.

"Akane was never what you'd call stable," Mamoru said, rising from his knees and standing in front of the group. "When Muertamon revived her, she was stark-raving mad. There was no question about it. And the problem was, even if you knew she was crazy, you couldn't prove it by looking at her. Most of the time she was as gentle as a kitten."

"Even the gentlest of kittens have a naughty streak," Gatomon said knowledgeably. 

"Eventually, Akane went off on her own," Makoto said. "I never had any intention of using her as part of the team, but apparently Shigeru had other ideas. How's Dracomon?"

Dracomon wasn't in good shape. The skin around the cut the Chakram had made was becoming swollen, and even with Joe doing what he could to ease the pain the Digimon had to be feeling, it was obvious that he wasn't in great shape. Joe had told Tai that he feared the cut would become infected.

Dragumon was mending nicely, on the other hand. The icicles had already begun to melt under the sun, and her body was easily absorbing the water and healing naturally. Already, you could barely see that she had even been injured. 

But the person who was having the most trouble was Matt.

"Diamamon," Garurumon said softly, "I think there's something wrong with Matt."

Diamamon looked up from where he was watching over a sleeping Laciomon and gazed at the young boy. "You're right, Garurumon," Diamamon said just as softly. "And I think I know why."

"Akane, right?" Diamamon nodded. Garurumon shook his head. "Why doesn't he see that it's an accident?"

"He probably believes that he involuntarily caused her death," explained Diamamon. "Maybe you should go talk to him. He looks like he could use a friend."

"Why not you?" Garurumon asked. "You're the Desti-Digimon of Friendship, after all."

Diamamon looked surprised. "But you're Matt's partner," he said. "I only share his crest. And while I do feel protective of him, it's strictly in a paternal way. I think all of us Desti-Digimon feel the same you. Our partners were lost to us years ago, even though Mamoru, Kozou, and Makoto are returning. It will never be the same between us. But you and Matt – you have something that I always wished I could have with Mamoru. A bond of friendship." He tossed his head in Matt's direction. "Now go talk to him."

Garurumon looked at the Snake Digimon. "Thanks, Diamamon," he said. "You know, I think that digivolution made you more than just bigger – I think it made you grow-up a little, too."

Diamamon gave him a fanged smile. "No doubt."

Garurumon laughed slightly, then started towards his friend.

"So Muertamon's getting on our case," sneered Kaede. "Great. Just great. We're doing the best we can!"

Leiko, the Inversed of Darkness, nodded in agreement. "It's not our fault Makoto, Kozou, and Mamoru turned traitor. Or that Akane was stupid enough to get killed."

Gen looked at Shigeru. "So what do we do?" he asked. 

Shigeru shook his head. "Muertamon wants us to wait for him at the monolith," he said. "He'll give us further instructions there."

Leiko shuddered. "The monolith. I can still remember the last time we were there – Muertamon ended up killing us all."

"But that's also the place where he revived us," Kaede said. "We work for him now, not against him – we're the embodiment of the dark powers of the monolith, so they can't be used on us like they were centuries ago."

"I still don't like it," Leiko said. 

Shigeru motioned for them all to stop. "We better quit this line of conversation now, my allies, because the monolith is just over this hill. Muertamon has spies everywhere – they say even the trees are working for him."

"I'd much rather be going after Sora and Dragumon," Kaede muttered. 

"So would we all, Kaede," Shigeru said, slipping his arm around her waist. "So would we all."

Leiko, Kaede, and Shigeru picked up the pace, but Gen held back for a minute. _What is that?_ he thought, looking up at the sky. _A disruption . . . Imagimon? _A strange tremor shuddered down his spine. _Something bad is about to happen._

Chapter Seven

"We need to plan our next move," Tai said later that night. Agumon had managed to get a few fires set up, and now the entire group of humans and Digimon were crowded together next to Mirage Lake. Dragumon had almost completely recovered, but Dracomon was fading in and out of consciousness. 

Mimi gently fingered the smooth side of the Chakram that Makoto had presented to her an hour before. "Maybe someone should go back and check on Izzy," she said. "He might be in trouble."

"Izzy's fine," Joe said, pressing another wet cloth on Dracomon's cut. "He's got Tentomon with him."

"So your friend's decided to try and contact Imagimon?" Kozou asked, brushing a strand of pale hair out of his eyes. "Hmm. Mimi might be right – it might be a good idea for someone to go back and keep an eye on him."

"Why?" Kari asked, looking up at the older boy. 

Makoto jabbed his elbow into Kozou's side, and Kozou winced at the sharp blow. Few people missed it. "Kozou's just not thinking things through," Makoto said. "The truth is, it's better if Koushiro's alone for this. The chances of him meeting Imagimon are greater."

"What's the big deal with this Imagimon guy?" Matt asked, looking up from where he was leaning back against Garurumon's side. "I mean, you guys keep talking about him, but I don't see what the big deal is."

The Desti-Digimon and the former Inversed exchanged glances. "I think it might be better for Koushiro himself to tell you once he gets back," Dragumon said. "We're not even supposed to know, but, well, Gen wasn't exactly big on keeping things a secret."

Mezzomon rolled his eyes. "I remember Imagi chewing him out big time when that happened."

"Well, if you're not going to tell us, don't talk about it," Sora said. "You're just making us more curious."

"What about the last Desti-Digimon?" Gatomon asked. "The one of Light."

"Yeah," Kari said, nodding. "What about her?"

"Avimon?" Mamoru looked thoughtful. "I remember she didn't like me very much. But then, she never liked any of us, least of all her partner Leiko. She was the first to stop trusting us."

"It was Avi who originally planned to go after the Sword of Destiny," Katrimon said in-between preening his feathers. "She managed to convince me to go, too."

"Avimon was the youngest out of all of us, except Mezzomon," a quiet voice said. Everyone looked at Laciomon in surprise. She hadn't said anything for the past several hours – in fact, no one had even realized she wasn't asleep anymore. "She always knew how to bring the best out in all of us." The serpent sighed and lowered her head. "I miss her."

"We all miss her," Mezzomon said softly. "And Imagimon."

For awhile, a silence fell over the group.

Suddenly Matt looked around. "Hey, did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Tai asked.

Diamamon picked his head up off of Laciomon's side and looked across the lake at a hoard of flying black Digimon. That was about all you could tell they were – their shapes were irregular and inconsistent. "Uh, oh," he said. "Looks like Muertamon's decided to play. Those are Shadowmon!"

"What are Shadowmon?" asked T.K. 

"Blood-thirsty Digimon who can take the form of absolutely anything – they look like shadows," Mezzomon said, pulling himself into a standing position. "It's almost impossible to track them – Muertamon must be . . ."

He was cut off as his own shadow jumped off the ground and wrapped itself tightly around his body.

Avimon glided to a floating stop and looked around. She could sense a disturbance in the area, but even with the height she had in the sky, she couldn't see anything. But Avimon had learned long ago that you couldn't always count on your eyes to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and allowed her other senses to magnify.

Of course, touching wasn't doing her any good, and neither was tasting. But smell – she could easily pick up the scent of water nearby. Fresh water, not salt water – Mirage Lake. And her hearing was giving her tons of information. It took her a minute to figure it out. Someone was shouting in pain.

Avimon knew that voice. "Oh, God, Mezzo!" she gasped. Ducking her wing, she turned to the right, caught another thermal, and raced for the lake, no longer caring about what Imagimon had said about not letting them see her.

Her Mezzo was in trouble, and she wasn't going to stand by and do nothing.

"**Boom Bubble!**" Patamon fired his attack again and again at the shadow that was quickly squeezing all the air out of Mezzomon. The Shadowmon wasn't letting up at all – Patamon just was a Rookie, while the Shadowmon were all Megas. 

Several other Shadowmon came down from the sky and set to work steadily attacking the others. Dragumon, Agumon, and Biyomon worked furiously to keep them away from Dracomon. Katrimon had immediately headed for the skies to defend from the air, and Diamamon, Garurumon, and Laciomon were taking the point position on the ground. The others alternated between trying to free Mezzomon and protecting the Digi-Destined. 

Mamoru launched both his boomerangs at a Shadowmon who was getting too close for his liking, but the weapons merely sliced through it. Immediately, the Digimon healed itself and continued advancing. Without the special elemental ability, the weapons had zero effect. With a sinking feeling, Mamoru realized that by destroying the Crest of Enemies, the Boomerangs no longer worked for him. 

"**Cobra Strike!**" Diamamon hissed and attempted catch a Shadowmon off guard. It easily slipped out of his grasp. 

"**Javelin Ice!**" Laciomon shouted, firing her icicles at a group of four. They sailed through the Shadowmon and landed harmlessly in the lake.

"**Howling Blaster!**" Garurumon showered them with his icy blast, but they just absorbed the ice and continued their onslaught.

"This isn't working!" Dragumon gasped as her Waterspout did absolutely no damage. The Rookies were having even less luck. 

"Gatomon, digivolve!" Kari called. "You're the only one who can!"

"It's not working!" Gatomon called back as she used her Lightning Claw on a couple of Shadowmon, but sailed harmlessly through them. "I don't know why!" 

Mezzomon was literally turning blue from lack of oxygen. His black and red markings were now painfully pale. "Forget about me, protect the others," he gasped out to Patamon and Palmon, who were aiding him. 

"**Aviator Beacon!**"

A brilliant explosion of light bathed the entire group. The painful shrieks of the dying Shadowmon filled everyone's ears as the bright light canceled out of the dark shapes. 

The light faded, and Mezzomon finally drew in a much-needed breath of air. 

"What was that?" Gatomon and Kari wondered at the same time.

A tall pink horse with wings landed nimbly on the ground in the middle of the group. She shook out her mane and gave a musical laugh. "Why is it that every time I come back, I end up saving your digital butts?" Avimon asked. 

"All that's missing now is Imagimon, Master."

Silence.

"Master?"

Silence. 

"M-master?"

"You IDIOT! I specifically _ordered_ you to _destroy_ that insolent Laciomon! Do you have any idea what you've _done?_"

"B-but I thought we w-wanted all the Desti-Digimon t-to reunite."

"No. We wanted them to unite with the other parts of their virtues and set off the power. We _did not want them all to reunite with each other!_ It was poor mistake to allow Courage and Love to meet up, but one that could've been easily rectified. But now Friendship and Sincerity are reunited and Light and Hope are together again!"

"But there still isn't Knowledge, Master."

"Do you _honestly_ think that matters? Knowledge is of no use to me at all."

"I don't understand."

"Of course not. After all, you don't know what separates Knowledge from the other seven. It was never necessary for you to know that information. Are the Inversed here?"

"Yes, Master."

"Bring me Gen."

The Digi-Destined and their Digimon watched with stunned expressions as the seven Desti-Digimon talked with each other nonstop. Even Makoto, Kozou, and Mamoru were more than a little surprised. Dracomon had regained consciousness, and although he was still a little groggy, he was attempting to participate in the reunion conversation as much as possible.

"Where have you been, Avi?" Mezzomon asked, looking at the Equine Digimon. 

Avimon shook out her mane. "Oh, around. Actually, I've been running errands for Imagimon. That guy has more than enough on his mind, so I decided to help him out."

"Imagimon?" Diamamon looked surprised. "You've seen him, too?"

"Too?" Dracomon looked sleepily at his friend. "What do you mean, too? And what happened to you?"

"Long story," Diamamon replied. "Very long. Maybe you can clear something up, Avimon. Garurumon and I both naturally digivolved, and somehow the Crest of Friendship can keep us both sustained. Why?"

Avimon flicked her tail. "Haven't a clue," she said. 

"Maybe I do," Mamoru said suddenly, jumping into the conversation. "Could it have anything to do with the fact that I destroyed the Crest of Enemies?"

Everyone stopped and looked at him. Mamoru frowned. "What? Was it something I said?"

"The Inversed Crests _did_ use the same power that the Destined Crests do," Kozou said thoughtfully. "Maybe destroyed them allows the other Crests to become more powerful."

"What are you all talking about?" Tai asked. "I'm confused."

"You're not the only one," Matt said, shaking his head. "But then, most of us have been confused from day one of this whole mess."

"Is there anyway to test that theory?" Joe asked. 

Laciomon nodded and glanced at Akane's body. Makoto took the hint, walked over, and removed the Crest of Duplicity from around her neck. He rejoined the group and held it up. "If what we say is true, then destroying this Crest should give Laciomon and Palmon enough energy to digivolve to the next level and use it as their base level."

"Then let's try it," Mimi said. She was curious to see what Laciomon's Ultimate Level would be.

Makoto dropped the Crest on the ground. But just as he was about to step on it and smash it for good, a new voice jumped in.

"I wouldn't do that, Makoto," Shigeru said as he stepped out of the woods. Kaede and Leiko stepped out behind him. Mamoru narrowed his eyes when he noticed Gen wasn't with them. "Hand over Duplicity. Now."

"Shigeru," growled Makoto. 

Chapter Eight

It was a silent showdown. The Inversed versus the Digi-Destined. Evil versus Good. Three versus twenty-four. It seemed very one-sided.

But the Inversed had no fear.

The Digi-Destined . . . did. 

"Give it to me, Makoto," Shigeru said in a low whisper. His voice sounded smooth, almost teasing or hypnotic. He took a step forward. "Just hand the Crest to me. Place it in my hand."

Makoto blinked a couple times, and then to everyone's surprise, he began to step forward.

"Makoto, snap out of it!" Avimon snapped. She pawed the ground. "He's trying to control you!" 

"Please, stop this, Makoto," pleaded Dragumon. 

Dracomon struggled to break out of the fog that had begun to overtake him again. "_Makoto, no!_" he shouted. "_Don't let Shigeru take the Crest of Duplicity!_"

The roaring voice of the Desti-Digimon of Courage immediately snapped Makoto out of Shigeru's trance. Makoto blinked and shook his head, and then suddenly realized what he had been about to do. He was a foot away from Shigeru, and suddenly the Inversed of Despair wasn't ready to take no for an answer. He leaped forward, his hands outstretched, ready to snatch the Crest out of Makoto's hand. 

Makoto stumbled backwards and tossed the Crest up in the air. Then, with one smooth move, he grabbed Shigeru's outstretched hands by the wrist and, kicking Shigeru's legs out from underneath him, launched him over his shoulder. Before he hit the ground, Shigeru used his power to levitate himself back over to his friends. 

The little stunt had given Mimi enough time to catch the Crest of Duplicity. "Hey, Shigeru!" she shouted, holding up the Crest. "You wanted this? Come and get it!"

She dropped it on the ground, and crushed it with the heel of her shoe. 

For a minute, everything was perfectly silent. And then, suddenly, the Crest of Sincerity began to shine with a brilliant green essence. It caused everyone to shield their eyes, except for Mimi, who was somehow immune to the glow. At the same time, Palmon and Laciomon began to glow with the same green. Palmon was the first to have her glow fade, but she wasn't Palmon when it was gone – once again, Togemon stood in her place.

But it was Laciomon that everyone watched.

Her smooth hide had turned an icy blue color. A crystal headband circled her head, pulling her darker blue hair out of her eyes. There were two snowflake-shaped fans on either side of her tail. Her eyes were now a frosty green, like green irises covered by webs of ice. Engraved on her tail was the green symbol of Sincerity. 

"Oh, shit," Shigeru breathed. "Muertamon is going to kill me."

"Wow," gasped Mimi. "She's . . . beautiful!" 

"Beautiful and dangerous," agreed Dragumon, having overheard the girl's comments. "That's Sakuramon. She's the Ultimate form of Laciomon. Her North Wind attack is cold enough to freeze even the most powerful Fire Digimon."

"Think you can win now?" Sakuramon demanded coldly. "I've had enough manipulation and lying for one lifetime, thank you very much. Give me one good reason not to blow you all away right now."

Shigeru gulped. "Uh . . ." 

Diamamon glared at them. "Are you weighing your options? Seven Champion Digimon, six Rookies, and two Ultimates, as well as four Destiny weapons, eight Digi-Destined, and three Inversed-Destined. Against three more Inversed-Destined." Then he frowned. "Which reminds me. Where's Gen?"

Leiko tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Wouldn't _you_ like to know?"

"What kind of games are you playing, Shigeru?" Makoto demanded. 

Shigeru shrugged. "I'm afraid I'm not playing any games, Makoto – it's Lord Muertamon who holds the strings now." He narrowed his eyes. "Although I imagine your friend Tentomon is going to be in for a nasty surprise right about now."

Chapter Nine

__

So, this little brat thinks he can just take what rightfully belongs to me? Gen thought as he stalked towards the cave Muertamon had directed him to. _He's definitely got another thing coming to him_. 

"Anyone home?" he called as he stepped inside.

The little Insect Digimon started. "Hey! Who are you?!" it demanded. 

Gen rolled his eyes. "As if it's not obvious," he said, twirling the Staff in his hand. "It should also be obvious as to why I'm here."

The Digimon blinked its large green eyes. "You're an Inversed," it said, "and you're here to kidnap Izzy."

"Actually," Gen said, spying the sleeping redhead over in the corner, "I'm not here to kidnap him."

"You're not?"

"No." He smirked. "I'm here to _kill_ him. You see, I can't allow him to make contact with Imagimon – if he does, he might get too powerful and he might be able to destroy us Inversed. And maybe, just maybe, he'd manage to take out Lord Muertamon. Now, we can't have that, can we?"

"Maybe you can't, but I certainly can!" the little bug snapped. 

"Look, bugmon, quit your squeaking and just let me finish what I came here to do," Gen said as the Staff of Absurdity began to glow. "Now get out of my way!"

"You won't hurt Izzy! And my name isn't bugmon, it's Tentomon!" Tentomon opened his wings and dove for Gen. "**Super Shocker!**"

"Foolish Insect," Gen muttered. He lashed out with his Staff and smacked Tentomon in the side, knocking the Rookie off balance and into the nearest wall. "That was too easy."

He turned to look at the sleeping Izzy. "Well, Koushiro," he said, his eyes full of malice, "we meet at last."

"Comfortable?" asked Tai, squatting down so he could look the now-restrained Shigeru in the eye. The Inversed-Destined of Despair, as well as his female followers, had been bound to a couple of trees and gagged. Their arms were tied above their heads, while they themselves were sitting on the ground. Their legs had also been tied together. Shigeru narrowed his eyes at Tai, but couldn't do anything more. "Good boy." He patted Shigeru on the head, then removed the Crest of Despair from around his neck. 

Leiko and Kaede glared furiously at Joe and Sora as they took the other two Inversed Crests. "Well, now we've got seven out of eight taken care of," Matt said. "Now all we have to do is smash these, then go after Gen and stop him from hurting Izzy."

Makoto and Kozou glanced at each other. "One small problem," Kozou said. "We really only have _five_ out of eight. Makoto and I threw our Crests over a large cliff – and judging from the fact that Agumon and Gomomon are still the way they are, they haven't been destroyed yet."

Mamoru smacked himself in the forehead. "And they call _me_ stupid?" 

"Does this mean we're going to have to search for those two Crests?" Mimi asked nervously. "That would be like searching for a blouse without buttons in a department of buttoned-downs."

Everyone looked at her strangely. "Uh, never mind," she said, blushing. 

"I don't think it's necessary for _everyone_ search for the missing Crests," Tai said. "We've got to get to Izzy – that's our top priority."

"Right," Makoto said. "You guys go after your friend – Mamoru and I will go search for the Crests, while Kozou stays here to keep an eye on those three." He looked at Joe. "Would you mind turning your Scythe back over to him? Until the Crest of Distrust is destroyed, it's of no use to you, anyway, and it would be a big help if someone tried to free those jerks." Kaede made a muffled sound at this, but no one really paid attention.

"Sure," Joe said, handing over the Scythe. "Actually, to tell you the truth I wasn't all that comfortable with it in the first place. I don't like weapons."

"Believe me," Mamoru said, "you'll be thankful for them when it's time to face Muertamon." He handed the twin boomerangs to Matt, and the chakram to Mimi. "These should work for you. Just think about there elements and your target when you use them. Yamato, your element is poison, and Mimi, yours is water."

Sora, Kari, and TK each took what was offered to them. "The Magic of Hope is the desert sands," Kozou said. "The Whip of Light is, what else, light, and the Arrows of Love are ice." 

"What about Tai's?" Mimi asked.

"Fire, of course," Dracomon said. "Now, are we going to go or what?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Avimon asked. She nodded to the Crests. "I think it would be fitting for Takeru, Sora, and Hikari to deal with those."

TK, Sora, and Kari looked at the offending Crests in their hand. Then, simultaneously, they dropped them to the ground and crushed them with their heels.

Instantly, six bright lights; two of pink, two of gold, and two of red; filled the area of Mirage Lake.

"**Biyomon** digivolve to . . . **Birdramon!**"

"**Patamon** digivolve to . . . **Angemon!**"

"**Gatomon** digivolve to . . . **Angewomon!**"

"**Dragumon** digivolve to . . . **Wataimon!**"

"**Mezzomon** digivolve to . . . **Lycanthromon!**"

"**Avimon** digivolve to . . . **Majestimon!**"

Three images hung in the air. 

The first was of a large, reptilian Digimon. Her scales were a deep blue, as blue as any ocean. Her leathery wings curved away from her body like fins, also the same brilliant blue color. What looked like a large string of coral wrapped itself around her tail, making it look extremely heavy, and also extremely painful if someone were to get smacked with it. On either side of her neck, three slits appeared in her scales, opening and closing ever-so-slightly – gills. Her talons were webbed, making them ideal for swimming. A glossy mane of what appeared to be seaweed traveled from her head and down her neck until reaching the point where her neck connected with her body. The red symbol of Love shone brightly on her wings.

The middle image contained a wolf-creature very similar to WereGarurumon, but considering the fact that the two types of Digimon evolved from the same In-Training form – (Tsunomon) – it really wasn't surprising that they were nearly identical. The Ultimate kept the black fur and red markings of its Champion form, and added Chrome Digizoid armor to his arms, legs, and chest. The Crest of Hope gleamed from the golden chest-covering. 

And then there was the last image. Her body was similar to that of her Champion form, although sparkles of silver and gold now adorned her otherwise pink coat, and her once white hooves were now silver. Her mane and tail were long and silky, a mixture of white and pink. Her wings had changed from the normal bird-like appendages to resembling those of a butterfly. The diamond-like crystal horn protruded from her forehead, and directly underneath it was the Crest of Light, permanently visible on her majestic head.

"Those fools. Thinking they can go up against the forces of darkness. They'll never make it in time to save their friend."

Chapter Ten

"Okay, listen up everyone," Majestimon said as she galloped alongside Dracomon, Wataimon, Katrimon, Lycanthromon, Sakuramon, and Diamamon. Because of the dense forest, they had no choice but to travel on foot. "When we get to the cave, we _must_ stop Gen. But we can't, under any circumstances, disturb Koushiro."

"Why?" Kari asked from where she and Gatomon sat on Majestimon's back.

"Yeah, I'd like to know the answer to that question myself," Tai replied. 

"Just trust us on this one," Dracomon said brusquely. He was slightly behind the others, still limping from the gash on his leg. "I hope Makoto takes care of that Crest soon – I'm not going to be much help unless I digivolve."

Agumon snorted. "Can't you just use Tai's Crest of Courage?"

"Only when Tai's in extreme danger," replied Dracomon. "And at this moment, I think I'd rather let _you_ digivolve into Greymon and have the slim chance of going to MetalGreymon instead of me going to Firiomon and having the chance of me digivolving to Mega as zero to none."

"What's your Mega form?" Tai asked curiously.

"Hopefully you'll find out," Dracomon replied. "Let's just say, it isn't easy to get. I see a clearing up ahead – I'm taking to the skies. It'll be easier on my leg."

"How much further?" Sakuramon asked. "I'm not used to being out of water."

"Hold on a little longer," Diamamon said. "I hope we're not to late."

Hello, Koushiro.

"Do I know you?"

You will know me. I've been waiting for you.

"Are you . . . Imagimon?"

I am. 

"Then I've been waiting for you, too. Are you going to help us defeat Muertamon and the Inversed?"

There's something else that you must do first, Koushiro. Should you fail at this task, then the battle in this world will mean nothing.

"What are you talking about?"

Tell me, Koushiro – do you know where you come from? Do you know who you're parents are? Your _birth_ parents?

"Well . . . my real father was a distant relative of my foster father. I don't know much else about them – I know next to nothing of him, and absolutely nothing of my mother. Why? Do _you_ know something?"

Perhaps. 

"What? Tell me!"

Will you accept your destiny, Koushiro? As a Digi-Destined, and as a Guardian as well.

"A Digi-Destined and a . . . a what?"

A Guardian.

"What will happen if I don't?"

This world, and several thousand others like it, will be destroyed.

"Then I have no choice. I accept."

Then come with me.

Back in the cave, Gen raised his Staff of Absurdity over Izzy's head. With an expression of pure hate, he brought it down . . . 

Will the Digi-Destined stop Gen before he destroys Izzy? What _is_ Muertamon's evil plan? And can Makoto and Kozou destroy the Crests of Fear and Distrust in time for Katrimon and Dracomon to digivolve? Find out in Digi-Destiny #7: THE DIGITAL GUARDIAN.

****

Author's Note: Well, what do you think? Want the next part? Tell me! Oh, and for those of you wondering what's going on with Izzy, I'm sorry to say that very rarely in this story will I ever refer to what they're talking about. It will have no effect on the timeline of the Digi-Destiny series. For those of you who are insanely curious and are now plotting to send me death threats if I don't explain, well, check out my Astral Dancer series starting with #5 _Losing Jasper_, which will be out soon. I'll explain the situation with Izzy there. For those of you wanting a glimpse of Digi-Destiny #7, there is, as always, a preview below. Questions? Comments? Flames? Review! Arigatou.

THE DIGITAL GUARDIAN

Nothing is ever as it seems. One minute, the Inversed-Destined are trying to kill the Digi-Destined. Now Mamoru, Makoto, and Kozou are helping them. And Gen is apparently the only threat left – except he's a dangerous threat since he's one second away from destroying Izzy for good. The Digi-Destined and the newly digivolved Desti-Digimon are on their way, but will they be too late? And even if they make it in time to defeat Gen . . . are they prepared for what happens next?

Nothing is ever as it seems . . . 


	7. The Digital Guardian

Digi-Destiny #7

THE DIGITAL GUARDIAN

Chapter One

Gen raised his Staff of Absurdity over Izzy's head. With a look of pure hatred, he brought it down . . . 

Only to have it connect with a bright purple cocoon that suddenly enveloped the younger boy's sleeping body. 

"**Super Shocker!**"

Tentomon's attack caught the surprised Gen off-guard, and he stumbled away from Izzy, clutching his shoulder in pain and muttering a string of curses which wouldn't be appropriate to repeat. "I thought I took care of you, insect!" he snarled.

"I've been told that I have a very hard head," Tentomon said as he hovered over his partner. "**Super Shocker!**"

Gen yelped as the blast hit his foot. "Hey! Watch it! That stings!"

"**Super Shocker!**"

"Why you . . ."

"**Super Shocker!**"

"Stop it!"

"**Super Shocker!**"

"I'm going to kill you!" 

"**Super **– hey! Watch where you're throwing that thing!" Tentomon yelped as the Staff barely missed connecting with his head. It embedded itself in the wall behind him. 

Gen growled in frustration. He began moving towards his Staff to retrieve it. 

"I. Don't. Think. So. **Cobra Strike!**" Quick as a whip, Diamamon shot into the cave, wrapped himself around Gen, and held the strong annoyed Inversed-Destined of Absurdity tightly. 

"I don't think I've ever been so glad to see anyone in my entire life," Tentomon said as the other Digi-Destined rushed into the cave. The other Digimon waited outside, since there was barely any room left in the cave. 

Joe knelt down beside Izzy. "I think he's still alive," he said. "But, uh, what's happening to him?"

"I don't know, I was unconscious," said Tentomon. "Can we _please_ get out of this cave? I'm beginning to get claustrophobic in here. And _where_ did you get those weapons?" 

Tai yanked the Staff out of the wall. "From his friends," he said, pointing to Gen.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not polite to point?" sneered Gen.

"Gee, death certainly made you more of a smart-mouth, didn't it?" growled Diamamon. "One more wisecrack and I'll squeeze you until you pop like an overcooked hot dog."

Matt looked slightly sick at the remark. "Uh, nice analogy, Diamamon. I'm with Tentomon. Let's move this party outside." He helped Joe pick up Izzy, and the somewhat reunited team – and one less-then-happy hostage – stepped out to join the rest of the group.

"Will you all just stop squirming?" Kozou asked in a bored tone of voice as Shigeru, Kaede, and Leiko struggled with their bonds. "You aren't going to get free."

Shigeru had managed to work the gag out of his mouth. "You'll pay for this, Kozou," he snarled. "Why did you do this? We could've had it all!"

"That's where you're wrong," Kozou said. "See, Shigeru, maybe you've been disillusioned by all of this, but I remember all too well when we used to fight Muertamon. And frankly, I can't see him keeping us alive after the Digi-Destined are gone. So I'm going to do everything in my power to keep them around. Even if it means I end up dying again in the process."

"You're a fool."

Kozou shrugged. "Maybe. But the way I see it, I could die if I help the Digi-Destined. It could happen. However, if the Digi-Destined die and Muertamon has no use for us anymore, I _will_ die. And I'd rather take a maybe over a definite." He nodded to Mirage Lake, where Akane's body now rested at the bottom. "Akane died. We're not invincible, Shigeru – in fact, what you and I are right now are mistakes. We died a long time ago, and we should've stayed dead. But we were all granted new life."

"That's not the only reason you're doing this," Shigeru muttered. "I can tell that helping the Digi-Destined isn't the only reason you're doing this."

"You're right," Kozou agreed, brushing a pale strand of hair out of his eyes. "Shigeru, you, me, Makoto, Mamoru, Akane, Leiko, Gen, and Kaede all used to be Digi-Destined. We were the _first_ Digi-Destined. But we used that time being cruel and hateful towards the best friends we'd probably ever have – the Desti-Digimon. I've seen the way the new team works with their Digimon. They care for each other, and protect each other, something we never did.

"I'm doing this to make it up to Katrimon. We'll probably never be as close as Jyou and Gomomon, but I'm going to use my new life to try and bring back what I can of the bond the two of us shared the first time we met, back when he was Sparrowmon. Maybe, if I hadn't treated him the way I did, we'd still have that bond." He narrowed his eyes at Shigeru. "That bond was one thing I never should've broken. Because you see, if I hadn't, we never would've died in the first place.

"And that, Shigeru Takaishi, is why we're going to win this, and you've already lost."

"This is going to take forever," muttered Mamoru.

"Deal with it," replied Makoto. "If we don't find the last two Crests, those kids are dead. Without these Crests destroyed, they'll never be completely reunited. With luck, they'll be able to get the Crest of Absurdity from Gen."

"You think they stopped him in time?" Mamoru asked.

"Would the two of us still be alive if they hadn't?" 

"Good point." Mamoru scanned the trees to see if either of the Crests had gotten caught on the branches. "Hey, Makoto? Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Do you remember what your life was like before you became a Digi-Destined? I can, but I don't think I've ever heard you talk about yourself."

Makoto sighed. "Yeah, I remember. I was the son of a great samurai. My father started training me for battle the moment I was old enough to hold a sword. He had high expectations of me."

"He'd probably be thrilled if he found out you were the Digi-Destined of Courage," Mamoru commented.

"I doubt it." Makoto got a far-off look in his eyes. "You see, I met Scalemon – now Dracomon, but you probably already knew that – back on Earth. Of course, I never told Scalemon that it was Earth; that's probably why the Desti-Digimon seem to think we come from a different planet then the new group. But anyway, I'm digressing. I don't know how he got to our world, but he did. And he found me. 

"My father allowed me to have no friends, so Scalemon was a blessing to me. But when my father found out about him, he threatened to have him destroyed. I had no choice but to abandon Scalemon. 

"A couple years later, I was pulled into the Digital World (again, I'm not quite sure how seeing as computers didn't exist back then), where Scalemon and I were reunited. My childhood friend, however, had become bitter. He no longer trusted me. I had broken the first promise I had ever made: to stand by him no matter what, and to protect him from harm. He protected me only because he had to, but the bond we had once shared was gone." Makoto closed his eyes and sighed. "You know what? I don't really like talking about this. Let's find those Crests."

"You stupid Digi-Destined aren't going to win this one. Lord Muertamon will destroy you all."

"Do you want me to squeeze you again?"

That was the tenth time that conversation – with a few varied words to keep it interesting – had taken place. Gen would insult the Digi-Destined, Diamamon would squeeze him just hard enough so that he couldn't breathe very well. He'd fall silent, and five minutes after Diamamon stopped squeezing, he'd say something else.

The Digi-Destined had learned ignore him. 

"Should we wait until Izzy wakes up to smash the Crest of Absurdity?" Kari asked uncertainly.

"Probably a good idea," Majestimon said. "We want to make sure we actually have Imagimon first."

"Don't we have to go find him?" Matt asked, frowning.

"Imagi will find us," replied Katrimon. "Right, Majesti?"

"Right," Majestimon confirmed.

Tai sighed. "We've been here for an hour and a half. What's taking so long?"

Tentomon looked worriedly at his sleeping friend. "I want to know what that purple light is."

"You guys have been awfully quiet about all of this," Joe said, looking at the seven Desti-Digimon. "What's going on? I think you know."

"Like we said earlier," Sakuramon said, "it's for Koushiro and Imagimon to know, and them to tell all of you. If they choose to keep it a secret, that's their concern." 

"Actually, you're probably a lot better off not knowing," Dracomon said. "It'll keep you out of a lot of trouble and danger."

"Well, when you put it that way . . ." Mimi said. 

Gen rolled his eyes. "I don't believe you morons. What's the big deal if they know that – ack!"

"One more word and you'll end up just like your friends – gagged and tied to a tree," snarled Diamamon. "Just how many times do I have to practically break your ribcage to get you to understand."

Gen muttered a not-really-nice word. Matt and Tai immediately clamped their hands over T.K. and Kari's ears. "Knock it off with the insults," Sakuramon hissed, bringing her face down to Gen's level. "Got it?"

Sora watched Izzy's prone form. "Come on, Izzy," she said softly. "Wake up."

The purple glow disappeared. "Huh?" Sora blinked. "Izzy?" 

A soft moan escaped his mouth. "Hey, everyone, I think Izzy's waking up!" 

Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and looked over at their friend. As Sora spoke, Izzy's eyes opened and he managed to pull himself up in a sitting position. "Hi, everybody," he said, looking around. "What did I miss?"

Muertamon watched the Digi-Destined in the glowing image in front of him. "Batmon," he said.

His second-in-command appeared beside him. "Yes, Lord Muertamon?"

"Look at them." He gestured to the children. "So young, so foolish. And yet they've managed to defeat every evil the Digital World has thrown at them. Devimon. Etemon, Myotismon. Piedmon. MetalSeadramon. Puppetmon. Machinedramon. And now the Inversed-Destined."

"Yes," Batmon said hesitantly. He wasn't entirely certain where Muertamon was going with this.

"What mistakes did they make that I must not?" Muertamon murmured. "What must I do to ensure my victory?"

"If you want my opinion, I'll gladly give it to you, Lord Muertamon."

"Give."

"Power," Batmon said simply. "The more power you posses, the less they will. You're power is derived from the opposite of their Crests – Fear, Hate, Enemies, Despair, Distrust, Duplicity, Absurdity, and Darkness. The Inversed Crests. Perhaps the reason the Inversed-Destined were unable to defeat them was because they were unable to work together and combine their power. But you could take back the power that you gave them, my lord. And with you as the only controller, you could destroy the Digi-Destined with it."

Muertamon listened the Batmon's speech thoughtfully. A smile curled on his face. It wasn't a nice smile. "Batmon," he said, "I knew I wasn't making a mistake when I brought you out of the monolith with me."

Chapter Two

"Izzy, you're okay!"

"We were so worried about you!" 

"Hey, you stopped glowing!"

"I should've killed you when I – ow! Hey!"

"How many times to I have to tell you to _shut up?_"

"Calm down, Diamamon, or you'll get an ulcer."

"Matt, what's an ulcer?"

"Koushiro, where's Imagimon?"

"Did you see him?" 

"Can Digimon get ulcers?"

"Hey, Gen's turning blue. Maybe you should stop squeezing him, Diamamon."

"Diama, this isn't funny, stop it."

"Yes, Sakura."

"EVERYBODY BE QUIET!"

Everyone stopped and looked at Angemon, who was looking decidedly aggravated with the whole situation. "I think maybe we should all just calm down and let Izzy tell us what he experienced."

Tai looked at Izzy. "Well?"

Izzy reached into his pocket and removed a keychain. "He can help, too," he said.

The keychain glowed, and grew into an enlarged version of itself. 

The new Digimon strongly resembled Angemon, except instead of the armor he wore a long, flowing purple robe, and his hair was blue and lavender. He, too, had a mask over his upper face, but it was apparently retractable, seeing as how he retracted it just then. 

"It's been awhile," he said in a soft tenor. "I hope I didn't come at a bad time."

"Actually, Imagimon, you came at a great – hey! You little brat, where do you get off _biting_ me?" Diamamon hissed at Gen. 

"Then stop squeezing me," Gen snapped back. "That hurts."

"You better hope that's all I do, Gen, because you are really beginning to try my patience," the Snake Digimon threatened. "Dracomon, _please_ say I can teach this punk a lesson."

"Save it for later," Imagimon said suddenly. "We've got company." He pointed out into the horizon. A swarm of Digimon were heading straight for them. "Looks like Vinemon, Flymon, Tuskmon, Shadowmon, and some other members of Muertamon's goon-squad."

"Oh, great," muttered Lycanthromon. "Shadowmon. Yuck." He self-consciously glanced at his shadow, as if daring it to try and choke him again.

Matt tossed the Crest of Absurdity to Izzy. "Smash it," he advised.

Izzy looked up at Imagimon. "Do it, Koushiro," the Desti-Digimon said.

Izzy took the Staff from Tai and slammed the bottom down onto the Crest, cracking it in two.

"**Tentomon** digivolve to . . . **Kabuterimon!**"

"**Imagimon** digivolve to . . . **Deceptmon!**"

A loud explosion echoed in the ears of the Inversed-Destined. Kozou just barely managed to regain his footing before he was knocked to the ground. "What the blazes was that?" he shouted. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the tree that Leiko was tied to begin to crack. Leiko let out a muffled cry of terror, her eyes wide. 

Grabbing the Scythe, Kozou spun it around and sliced through the robes that bound her. Then he grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the way just as the tree fell over. If she had stayed tied to it, she would've been crushed. 

With two quick swipes, Kozou released Kaede and Shigeru. "Try anything and it won't be robes who get sliced next time," he said. "Come on. We have to get out of this forest."

"What's going on?" Leiko cried as another explosion rocked and another tremor shook the ground. 

"Listen," Kaede said. They all fell silent and strained their ears to hear.

"**Electro Shocker!**"

"**Meteor Wing!**"

"**Whirlpool Suction!**"

"**Flame Whip!**"

BOOM! BOOM! KA-BOOM!

"Sounds like the Digi-Destined are having a bit of a problem," Shigeru commented.

"**Cobra Strike!**"

"**Guardian Deception!**"

"**Sandstorm Rage!**"

"**Celestial Arrow!**"

"There's no way they can hold out forever," Kaede realized. She glanced at Shigeru, then at Kozou. "How . . . how far away do you think they are?"

Kozou looked at Kaede in surprise. And he was even more surprised when Shigeru replied, "About two miles. If we run, we might get there in time to help."

"**Howling Blaster!**"

"**Marching Fishes!**"

"**Hand of Fate!**"

"**North Wind!**"

Kozou spun the Scythe of Reliability around in his hand. "Well . . . hey, Jyou might need this. I'm going."

"I'll come, too," Leiko said. "Maybe . . . maybe we can also make it up to the Desti-Digimon."

"**Needle Spray!**"

"**Feather Dart!**"

"**Supreme Dawn!**"

"**Pepper Breath!**"

KA-_BOOM!_

"Rrrrraaaaagggggghhhhh!"

"That didn't sound good," Shigeru muttered. "Let's go!"

The Digi-Destined were badly outnumbered. 

While Angemon, Angewomon, Agumon, Birdramon, Garurumon, Kabuterimon, Togemon, and Gomomon stayed back to protect their partners, the Desti-Digimon immediately fell into a formation that they were obviously very familiar with.

Katrimon and Dracomon, being the weakest, were in the back ranks, flanked by Wataimon and Sakuramon. They combined Wataimon's Whirlpool Suction with Sakuramon's North Wind to create huge icicles that sliced through ten enemies in one shot. The only problem with that was that it took a lot out of them each time. 

To make sure they weren't cut down in-between attacks, Majestimon and Deceptmon attacked from the front while Lycanthromon and Diamamon got behind the swarm and kept up a steady stream of Cobra Strikes and Sandstorm Rages to keep the evil Digimon as clustered together as possible, creating an easier target for their friends.

"They work well together, don't they?" Matt said to Tai.

Tai nodded. "I've noticed. But they're losing."

This was true. No matter how fast the Desti-Digimon seemed to be in their defense, they could never get quite fast enough to go on the offensive. They were making no headway at all. 

"We need a better plan," growled Dracomon. To his friends he shouted, "fall back! Activate the shields and take this battle somewhere where we can move a little easier! **Fire Shield!**"

"Draco's right!" Katrimon said. "**Air Shield!**"

"**Poison Shield!**"

"**Desert Shield!**" 

Using their elemental shields, Diamamon and Lycanthromon powered their way through the swarm to get back to their companions.

"We have no choice," agreed Majestimon. "**Light Shield!**"

"**Mind Shield!** Come on, let's move!" Deceptmon said. "Want me to change my appearance, Dracomon?"

"What are you, crazy?" Wataimon demanded. "They'll still be able to tell it's you if they _see_ you chance. **Water Shield!**"

"**Ice **– ahhhhhhh!" Sakuramon's scream cut through to everyone as one Digimon came up behind her, and used the tusk on the end of his face to slice a neat, ten-foot long gash into her scales. 

"_Sakuramon!_" Diamamon shouted. 

Mimi stared in horror as the soft-spoken Desti-Digimon of Sincerity fell to the ground, bleeding profusely from her wound. _Oh, no! She was just . . . she was just trying to help protect us! She was concentrating on protecting us, and she wasn't looking to see if there was a threat to her!_ _I've got to do something to help! I _want_ to help!_

Her Crest of Sincerity began to pulsate with a green glow. Mimi stared at it, and watched in amazement as the glow transferred from the Crest to the Chakram in her hand. Lifting the circular blade, she felt as if her senses had all been heightened. Suddenly she _knew_ how to throw the weapon, _knew_ how to adjust her aim so the wind would have no effect. 

As Diamamon struggled to get through to his friend, Mimi raised the Chakram, took aim, and released it with a quick snap of her wrist. 

Diamamon ducked just in time to avoid being decapitated by the Chakram as it whistled by. The glowing blade sliced through a number of Digimon who didn't think to get out of the way. It moved through its victims like they weren't there. It circled around Sakuramon, taking out those that threatened her the most, and ended up back in Mimi's hand. Mimi stared at the weapon – and then promptly passed out.

Matt barely had time to get behind her before she hit the ground. Wrapping his arms around her, he gently eased her the rest of the way back. 

Muertamon's forces stared dumbly at where their companions had been standing just minutes before. They were having trouble comprehending what had just happened. The human girl had just wiped out a fifth of their forces . . . 

Izzy grabbed the Staff of Knowledge and spun it expertly in his hand, like Kozou had often done with the Scythe. The Staff began to glow purple. 

T.K. looked down at his hands and realized that the gloves he wore were shining gold. He suddenly felt very, very powerful, and somewhat understood how Shigeru could've gotten so corrupted, mastering a power like this.

Kari unconsciously reached for the Whip of Light that she had slipped into her back pocket. After being handed it, she had decided she didn't want to use it, but now she forgot that decision as she took the pink weapon into her hand.

Tai nudged Sora. The Sword of Courage was having zero effect – it was still tied to the Crest of Fear – but the Arrows of Love were a deep, glowing red. Sora nodded, brought up the bow, and carefully strung one of the arrows.

Joe knelt next to Matt and Mimi. "Here," he said, handing Matt his own weapon. "I'll watch her." Matt nodded, glanced one more time at Mimi, and then stood up, the Boomerangs of Friendship in his grip. 

Muertamon's forces finally understood what was happening. They had been briefed on the Destiny Weapons, but Batmon had seemed pretty confident that they were useless. However, if the Digi-Destined could know harness that power . . . suddenly, each and every one of those Digimon decided they had somewhere better to be.

They turned and ran.

Tai blinked. "Uh . . . okay," he said lamely. "They left?"

Dracomon snorted, causing puffs of smoke to come out of his nostrils. "It's been known that the sight of the Destiny Weapons can cause even the fiercest of Digimon to become Chickenmon. But that was still very, very pathetic. They didn't even hang around to see if the weapons would really work in your hands."

As quickly as they had started up, the weapons died down. 

Matt, T.K., Sora, Izzy, and Kari promptly passed out, joining Mimi on the ground.

Chapter Three

"Find anything yet?"

Mamoru looked down at Makoto from the rock he was standing on. "Nope. Nothing. You sure we have the right place? It's hard to tell from down here."

"I'm sure," Makoto said. He leaned against a tree. "I am getting really tired. How about you?"

Mamoru jumped off his rock and landed in front of Makoto. "Yeah, I'm tired as well. I wish there were an easier way to find these . . . hey, Makoto?" Mamoru fixed his gaze on something over the other boy's head.

"What?"

"Look up and tell me what you see."

Makoto titled his head so that he was staring straight up. And there, with the sunlight glinting off of it, was the Crest of Distrust. 

It was also on the highest branch of the tree.

"Damn," Makoto remarked. "How the hell are we going to get it down from there."

"That is the question," Mamoru agreed. "That is definitely the question."

"Hey. Yamato, can you hear me? Wake up?"

Matt slowly opened his eyes. "Who . . . Kozou?" He blinked a couple of times and tried to focus. "What are you doing here?"

Kozou grinned. "You're little fight here decimated the trees around Mirage Lake. I had to move the hostages. Who, apparently, have decided they don't want to be hostages anymore."

"What?" Matt said up faster, and winced as his head throbbed. "Ow."

"Let me guess," Leiko said sarcastically, "Kozou the Genius here forgot to tell you about the energy drain those things give off."

Kozou looked sheepish. "Sorry about that. I didn't think you'd use the weapons this soon."

"Tai?" Matt looked over at his friend. He pointed at Shigeru, Leiko, and Kaede, who were being kept under close supervision by sixteen Digimon. "Are they safe?"

"Well, they haven't tried anything yet," Tai said. 

Kaede looked offended. "What, you guys don't believe in second chances? You gave them to Kozou, Makoto, and Mamoru."

"She has a point," Sora said as she picked herself off the ground, then leaned against a rock to regain her balance. "We did give them another chance."

"It's your call," Tai said, looking at Lycanthromon, Majestimon, and Wataimon."

The three Desti-Digimon conversed quietly with each other. Then they looked back at their former partners. "Well," Wataimon said, "I suppose we can give you another chance."

"There's not much you can do without the Inversed Crests, anyway," Majestimon added.

Izzy blinked. "Hey, everyone? What happened to Gen?"

Chapter Four

They searched for an hour, but by the time the sun had completely gone down and Agumon and Dracomon had been forced to create some campfires for light, the group was forced to admit that during the battle, Gen had escaped.

"So, how serious is this?" Tai asked as they all huddled around the monstrous fire. It was big enough to keep all of them, even the Digimon, warm. 

"It depends," Katrimon replied. 

"On what?" asked Jyou.

"On whether Gen decides to go back to Muertamon or not," answered Shigeru. "Gen's an idiot – but he's a powerful idiot. Well, to an extent."

"How much of an extent?" T.K. asked uncertainly.

"Well, let me put it this way, squirt," Shigeru said, not unkindly (which surprised Lycanthromon). "If Muertamon decides that Gen is useful and does what I'm thinking he'll do, it's quite possible none of us will make it to the end of the week."

T.K. paled, swallowed, and tried to look like he wasn't scared out of his mind. 

"What do you think he'll do?" asked Matt, shooting Shigeru a warning glance. 

Shigeru looked at Kaede, who nodded. Kozou arched an eyebrow, and Leiko looked thoughtful. 

"Muertamon is the embodiment of the Inversed Traits: Fear, Hate, Enemies, Despair, Distrust, Duplicity, Absurdity, and Darkness," Dracomon said, taking over the narrative. "And he has the power to place those traits into other beings."

"It's what he did with the Inversed-Destined," Sakuramon managed to hiss out before Diamamon shushed her and told Deceptmon to continue healing her.

"Explanation?" Mimi asked. 

"Should Muertamon choose," Deceptmon said as he concentrated on Sakuramon, "he could give all the powers the Inversed-Destined had to Gen."

"Oh, prodigious," Izzy muttered. "Is there anyway to stop them before Muertamon gets a chance to do that?"

Everyone was silent. 

Suddenly Leiko gasped. "Of course!" she exclaimed.

"What?" everyone demanded. "What is it?"

She looked around the group. "The monolith!"

__

"They're – they're dead," Cobramon whispered.

Dracomon shook his head. "We told_ them not to go. We _told_ them to wait for Avimon and Katrimon to return."_

Imagimon pulled his cloak tightly around him. "We did everything we could."

"No," snapped Laciomon. "We didn't_ do everything – they're dead, after all! If we really had done everything possible, they'd still be alive. We could've gone with them, stood by them. For Digi-sake, they were our _partners!_ We made a pact to stand by them, and to protect them, and we broke that pact! Muertamon isn't the one to blame – we are!"_

"Calm down, Laciomon," Dragumon said softly. "You're not thinking rationally."

"I'm the only one who's thinking rationally!" Laciomon hissed. "We didn't protect them in our world, but we sure as hell can make it up to them.

"We can destroy Muertamon."

"And how," Dracomon said tightly, "would you like us to do that?"

"The monolith," Mezzomon said quietly.

All eyes turned to him. 

"Before she left, Avi told me that the monolith is the key. I didn't know what it meant at the time, but now I think I do." Mezzomon looked out over the valley the cliff they stood on towered over. In the center of the valley, the shadowed form of the monolith stood out like a sore thumb. "The only time Muertamon was able to defeat the Digi-Destined was at the monolith. He was more powerful. Perhaps – perhaps destroying the monolith is the key."

"We can't destroy that thing," Cobramon said incredulously. "It's more powerful then all of us combined."

"Then we'll have to get Muertamon to destroy it," Imagimon realized.

Gen walked purposefully towards the monolith. "Those idiots," he muttered. "Am I the _only_ one who sees that Lord Muertamon is the only possible winner in this battle? Everyone's so taken in by those brats that it's sickening."

"So you still talk to yourself, Gen?"

Gen whirled around and raised his hand to strike whoever had sneaked up behind him. Makoto's own hand shot out to grab Gen's wrist. "You?" Gen snarled. "How the hell did you find me?"

"I didn't find you," Makoto replied, "you stumbled into us." It was then that Gen noticed Mamoru stuck halfway up a tree.

"Ah, the monkey returns to its native habitat," Gen sneered at Mamoru. "Enjoying the view, Mamoru?"

"Makoto, give me one good reason not to come down there and pummel that guy."

"Because it took you thirty minutes to get up there," Makoto said easily, "and we don't have that much time to waste. Besides, I want to ask Gen a few questions."

"Oh, yeah?" Gen rolled his eyes. "What makes you so sure I'll answer."

Makoto twisted Gen's wrist sharply, causing the traitorous boy to let out a yelp of pain. "Because there are many other parts of your body I could twist even harder than that," Makoto replied calmly. "First question – what's Muertamon _really_ planning?"

"You know as much as I do, Makoto," snapped Gen. "We were both on his side for awhile. Until _you_ turned traitor."

"The only traitor here is you, Gen," Mamoru interrupted. "Makoto and I reformed. You're the one who's still against the Digi-Destined."

"Yeah, the only one," muttered Gen, still feeling injured over the betrayal by Shigeru, Leiko, and Kaede. "Everyone else has gone over."

"Everyone?" Makoto asked sharply. Mamoru groaned inwardly when he noticed the older boy's eyes begin to shine. "Even Kaede?"

"Yeah, even Kaede." 

__

Then maybe I still have a chance, Makoto thought, his mind wandering. 

"Makoto, look out!" 

Makoto barely had time to react before Gen yanked his wrist out of his grip, picked up a large rock, and smashed it against the back of his head. Makoto's eyes rolled back in his eyes, and he hit the ground. Gen spun around and ran.

Mamoru didn't even think about running after Gen, or continuing his climb for elusive Crest of Distrust. He hit the ground and knelt by Makoto. "Makoto?" he asked shakily. He slid his hand beneath his friend's head to try and lift him into a sitting position, and felt something sticky. He removed his hand, and found it covered with blood. 

Immediately he pressed his fingers against Makoto's neck. And found . . . nothing.

The former Digi-Destined of Courage had finally run out of time.

"Oh, Makoto," Mamoru choked out as he felt tears begin to form in his eyes. Then, just as quickly as they had started, they stopped. 

__

You'll pay for this Gen, Mamoru thought angrily. _You've gone too far now._

A few minutes after Leiko had mentioned the monolith, Dracomon arched his back and roared with pain. His wings extended completely, and the orange Crest of Courage imprinted on his scales burned brightly. He reared up and clawed at the air, then fell back to all fours and just barely managed to not land on his face.

"Draco!" Dragumon cried, moving over to him. "Are you okay?"

Dracomon winced as the pain died down. "Something – something bad just happened. The balance of Courage was disrupted."

"Huh?" Tai looked confused. "Uh, Dracomon? What are you talking about?"

"Something connected with the Crest of Courage," Dracomon whispered. "Something just died."

"Well, I'm still here," Tai said. "And so's the Crest, and Agumon, and the Sword. Does that mean something's happened to the Temple?" The Temple of the Ancients was the Sacred Place for Courage. 

"It's Makoto," Deceptmon said suddenly. "I can … I can feel … Dracomon's right.

"Makoto is dead."

Chapter Five

"You are going to come down out of that tree."

Mamoru stood looking up at the Crest of Distrust. It was an hour later, and after giving Makoto a quick burial, he'd gone back to trying to persuade the Crest to come down. There wasn't time to mourn his friend, and he knew that Makoto would've wanted him to continue trying.

The problem was, Mamoru wasn't known for being patient, and Crest was still up a tree.

Mamoru kicked the tree trunk hard. The branches swayed, but still the Crest refused to drop. "I am not a Digi-bird," he snapped. "I can't fly up there and pluck you out. Now come _down!_" He kicked the tree again, and only succeeded in causing his foot to hurt. 

"Look," he hissed, "I have had a very bad day. My best friend was just killed for the second time, and by a guy who used to be a Digi-Destined but has now decided he's better off working for the guy who killed my friend (and the traitor) and myself the first time. Your creator. Now, I know you think this is funny, but I'm not finding any humor in this entire matter."

The Crest merely swayed in the wind.

"Don't make me come up after you."

A gust of wind swept by, causing the Crest of swing on the branch. Just as it looked like the wind would knock it down – it flipped over the branch and got even more tangled up in it.

Mamoru sweatdropped. "Okay, now I'm pissed." He climbed onto a large rock and reached for the closest branch.

The Crest of Distrust glowed suddenly, and then dissolved. 

Mamoru blinked. "What the hell?"

Off in the distance he heard four very unmistakable sounds:

"**Katrimon** digivolve to . . . **Ospreymon!**"

"**Gomomon** digivolve to . . . **Ikkakkumon!**"

"**Dracomon** digivolve to . . . **Firiomon!**"

"**Agumon** digivolve to . . . **Greymon!**"

"This is bad," Mamoru said as he ran towards the cave.

Chapter Six

"Wow." 

Joe and Ikkakkumon looked up at Ospreymon. He was twice as big as his previous form, with a hooked beak and talons that automatically told people to stay away from him. His feathers were a seemingly dull silver, but when the sun hit them just right, they gleamed brightly. On his crest was the Crest of Reliability. 

Firiomon stretched his wings and let out a huge roar. "All healed!" he exclaimed. The digivolution had gotten rid of the infection on his leg.

"It's about time the two of you joined us," Wataimon said, nudging Firiomon in the neck with her snout. 

Ospreymon bird-walked over to Birdramon. "Looks like it's just you and me with the feathers, Birdra." Birdramon gave him a scathing look.

Sora looked quizzically at Majestimon. "Ospreymon is something of a flirt," she explained. "Sakuramon, Wataimon and myself have learned to ignore him."

"Hey, come on, I wasn't trying to insult you or anything," Ospreymon said as Birdramon attempted to hide behind Greymon and Garurumon. 

"Better shut your beak before I Meteor Wing is shut," Birdramon threatened from behind the other two Digimon.

"All right, all right, I get the point, sheesh." Ospreymon bird-walked back over to Joe and Ikakkumon. "I get no respect."

"Is he going to talk the whole time?" Angewomon complained.

"It's Digimon like him who make me glad my Champion form isn't as pleasing to the eye as my Ultimate is," Togemon commented. Mimi, Kari, and Sora couldn't stop themselves from giggling. 

Izzy looked around. "Well, shouldn't we go find Mamoru now? And find out what happened to Makoto?"

"I'm here!" Mamoru said suddenly, running out of the trees. "And we have a problem."

"Mamoru," Kaede said quickly, "is Makoto . . . ?"

"Dead." Mamoru nodded. "Gen did it. And the other problem is, I didn't have anything to do with destroying the other two Crests. They dissolved on their own. Which probably means Muertamon had something to do with it."

"Which means trouble," Diamamon said. 

"I don't mean to take charge here," Firiomon said, "but I think the best thing to do right now is get out of this area before anymore of Muertamon's henchmen show up."

Tai climbed up on Greymon's back. "Let's go."

"Does anybody else think that this is really, really not a good idea?" Matt asked about thirty minutes later. It had suddenly gotten much darker then it had been a few minutes earlier, and it was making most of the team uneasy. "It's the middle of the night, we're heading towards the very place that the guy who's been trying to kill us is, and we don't have a plan. Call me crazy, but I don't think this'll work."

"Oh, I'll be happy to call you crazy," Tai said. "But what choice to we have, Matt?"

"Taichi's right," Firiomon said. "We can't stay back there – we'd be sitting Digimon."

"All I'm saying is, for all we know, Muertamon and Gen could be waiting for us."

Lycanthromon suddenly skidded to a stop. "Did anyone else hear that?"

"Don't _do_ that!" Joe moaned. "Every time anyone ever stops and asks 'Did anyone else hear that' always means that there's some evil enemy coming to sneak up behind us."

"Joe, you worry too much," Ikkakkumon chastised. 

"Actually, I don't worry enough," Joe replied. 

"There's nothing in sight up here," Birdramon called down.

"And with these eyes, we don't miss much," added Ospreymon. 

Kari bit her lip and looked over at T.K., who was perched on Angemon's shoulders. "Something about all of this is really beginning to bother me," she said. 

T.K. nodded. "I get the same feeling."

"Your worrying is beginning to worry me," Angewomon added. 

Izzy frowned. "Kabuterimon?" he asked. "Can you get higher?"

The Insect Digimon buzzed his wings faster and rose in altitude. "What is it, Izzy?" he asked.

Izzy looked around. "I knew there was something bothering me," he said a minute later. "The monolith! We should be able to see the monolith from this height, but it's gone! Tai! The monolith isn't up ahead!" 

"What do you mean, it's not up ahead?" Tai shouted. "Where else could it be?"

Slowly, they all looked up – and realized that it hadn't gotten darker because the moon had gone behind a cloud.

"They've spotted us, Lord Muertamon." 

Muertamon looked over at Gen. "Are you ready?"

Gen drew in a deep breath and nodded. "I want those brats to pay for what they've done. They've made me look like a fool, and they've managed to turn all my friends against me. And Koushiro took my power. They _have_ to pay."

Gen's appearance hadn't changed a bit since he'd received Muertamon's full powers, but there was definitely an air of evil about him. He was more confident than before, and twice as conceited (if that was even possible). 

He was dangerous. 

Batmon leaned close to Muertamon and whispered so that Gen wouldn't be able to hear him. "Why are we wasting our time like this?"

"He's already killed Makoto, and he may be able to deplete their forces even more. He'll buy us the time we need to finish our final plans."

"I hope you aren't being overzealous again, my Lord."

"If I am, you'll be sure to tell me." He looked back at Gen, who had been completely oblivious to the less-than-flattering conversation. "Go now," he commanded. "Take your revenge. But remember – the Crests must not be destroyed."

"Yeah," Gen said, nodding, and not completely listening. "You can count on me, Lord Muertamon. Come on!" he barked to a group of Shadowmon. "Your orders are to destroy the Digi-Destined. Let no one escape."

"Yes, destroy the Digi-Destined," Muertamon said. "Listen to the Chosen One. Go!" 

As soon as the attackers were out of the monolith and on their way to intercept the Digi-Destined, Batmon rolled his eyes. "Chosen One, indeed," he said.

"We only need to cater to him a little while longer," Muertamon reminded his second-in-command. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "And then I can take extreme pleasure in murdering the little worm."

One minute, they were all staring up at the monolith. The next, it was raining Shadowmon. 

And the tough part was, it was getting darker by the minute, and the Shadowmon were blending in perfectly with the natural shadows. 

"**Needle Spray!**" Togemon attempted to shoot several at the same time, only to find that half of them were just regular shadows and the other half had eaten the needles. 

"**North Wind!**" hissed Sakuramon, freezing a huge group of them. A second later, they melted their way out of the ice. "What in the world?" She dodged to avoid being attacked, and winced as her wound threatened to open up. It was temporarily frozen shut – there were some good things about having cold skin – but at any second it could give her more trouble.

"Get away from me!" shouted Kari as a group of Shadowmon attempted to pin her to the ground. She snapped her whip sharply, but it didn't touch any of them. She had no control over the weapon. 

"Hey, leave her alone!" T.K. shouted. He swung at one of the Shadowmon, who easily dodged the strike and attempted to attack again. T.K. lashed out again, and watched with wide eyes as his gloves glowed a golden color, and the Shadowmon disintegrated. 

"Nice one, kid," Shigeru said, coming up behind him and pulling him out of the way of another couple of Digimon. Lycanthromon was right beside him, pulling Kari along with them. "But why don't you leave this stuff up to us older Digi-Destined, at least until the two of you can control those things, okay?" Noticing that two sets of eyes were watching them, Shigeru waved to Tai and Matt. "Just making sure the kids don't get hurt!" He turned back to Kari and T.K. "Where are your Digimon?"

They pointed at the sky. 

"**Hand of Fate!**"

"**Celestial Arrow!**"

"Oookay," Shigeru replied, frowning. Then he sighed. "Lycanthromon? Looks like we're baby-sitting detail for awhile."

Lycanthromon was already involved in a game of Tic-Tac-Toe with T.K., and didn't really seem to care one way or another. Kari kept looking worriedly at her brother. Then Shigeru noticed another problem. "Lycanthromon? Think you can throw up a Desert Shield and still play that game?"

The Desert Shield went up, Shigeru sighed, and the fight continued. _This is very, very, very boring, _he thought. And then he noticed something. 

"HEADS UP, EVERYONE!" he suddenly shouted, startling every single living being in the area. "IT'S GEN!"

Chapter Seven

"IT'S GEN!" Tai heard Shigeru shout. He had just enough time to roll out of the way before Gen landed right on the stop where Tai'd been standing a second earlier. Tai whipped the Sword of Courage around and faced the traitorous idiot. 

"You think you can hurt me with that?" sneered Gen. "You don't even know how to use it."

It was true. The Sword was refusing to light up for Tai. So far, only Mimi and T.K. had managed to get their weapons to light up, and without the elemental power, the others weren't doing much good. "I guess I'll just have to try," Tai said, gritting his teeth and looking very determined. Then his determination faltered a little. "Uh, Greymon? Firiomon? Could you help me here?"

"**Fire Shield!**" roared Firiomon.

Greymon stood behind his partner. "I'm right here, Tai. Just say the word."

Gen rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. Would you all just quit resisting? It would be _so_ much easier if you just let me kill you."

"Fat chance!" shouted Matt and Mamoru at the same time, sounding (and looking) remarkably alike. Diamamon and Garurumon blinked. 

"Is it just me, or was that seriously freaky?" Diamamon asked Garurumon.

"That was seriously freaky," Garurumon agreed.

"You're next," snapped Gen, looking at the former and current Digi-Destined of Friendship. He turned back to Tai. "You're first."

"You can't break Firiomon's shield," snapped Tai. 

"Oh?" Gen smirked. "Then allow me to elaborate. I just have to . . ." He was interrupted by a large staff hitting him in the back of the head, rendering him unconscious. At the same time, every single Shadowmon disintegrated. 

Izzy stood sheepishly behind Gen's unconscious form, holding the Staff of Knowledge. "Sorry," he said, shrugging, "but he truly was beginning to annoy me."

Chapter Eight

"Izzy, I can't believe you did that," Sora said. 

"Where'd all the Shadowmon go?" Birdramon wondered.

"Gen was probably controlling them," Deceptmon speculated. "Knocking him out probably got rid of them."

"Sure. Right. Uh huh. Whatever." Those were the various reactions made by the Desti-Digimon and former Digi-Destined. They were looking at Deceptmon, skeptical looks all around.

"Okay, _what_ is going on here?" demanded Mimi. "You all have been acting super freaky whenever you talk about the Crest of Knowledge, the Desti-Digimon of Knowledge, or anything else that has to do with Knowledge! Spill it! I want to know what's going on!"

Izzy's face was turning about as red as his hair. "Um, I'd really like to tell you, Mimi, but trust me, I can't."

Mimi turned to glare at him. He cringed. "What do you mean, you _can't_? Since when do any of us keep secrets from each other, Koushiro "Izzy" Izumi?!"

Matt whistled softly. "Man, Mimi's really ticked off."

T.K. nodded. "Maybe she needs a nap."

Kaede looked at them like they were crazy. "Uh, hello? Maybe now is not the time to bring this up, but, what are we going to do with him?" She pointed to Gen. "If you ask me, he's a lot more trouble than he's worth. I say we just leave him and get the hell out of here."

"He's still a danger to us," objected Tai.

"If he were a danger, do you honestly think Muertamon would've let Koushiro knock him out like that?" Kozou argued. "I'm with Kaede on this one. Leave the jerk and get going before we get into even _more_ trouble."

"We need to figure out a plan," said Wataimon. She glanced up at the floating monolith. "Not here. Muertamon doesn't seem to be attacking – I think we better find a better place to talk before he decides he's bored and wants to chase us. That monolith can't possibly move very fast."

Firiomon stretched his wings. "Okay, then. Everyone who can fly, follow me. Everyone who has to walk, follow me from the ground. Majestimon, act as a guide for the walkers. Tai, would you prefer riding on my back or on Greymon?"

"Go with Firiomon, Tai," Greymon said unexpectedly. "He's an Ultimate, and I'm a Champion. He can do a better job of protecting you."

"Are you sure, Greymon?" Tai asked, clutching his Sword. Greymon nodded. "Okay, then."

"If he says 'let's go'," Matt muttered to Sora, "I'm going to scream."

"Let's go!"

"TAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIII!"

Chapter Nine

Gen woke up in a daze. "What happened?" he murmured, sitting up.

"You screwed up."

Gen looked up to see Batmon standing in front of him. His eyes were narrowed, and his wings were fully extended. He looked extremely unhappy. "You got too cocky, and now the Digi-Destined have escaped. The monolith doesn't move fast enough to keep up with them. You've messed up, Gen Izumi, and Lord Muertamon doesn't like anyone who messes up."

Gen began to shake. "I'll make it up to him," he said. "I'll track down those morons! They must have gone to one of the Sacred Places! I'll search each one until I find them! I'll –"

"And exactly how long do you think that will take?" hissed Batmon. "And they could just keep moving from one point to another. No, now the only thing left to do is initiate the final phase of the plan."

Gen blinked. "Plan? But – I thought the plan was for me to use Lord Muertamon's powers to destroy them."

Batmon smirked. "Foolish child, you don't honestly believe that we'd rely on _you_, do you?"

"Lord Muertamon will destroy you for this!" snapped Gen. "He'll never let you get away with this."

"I'm acting under Lord Muertamon's orders," hissed Batmon. "**Knives of the Night!**"

Chapter Ten

The room was, at first, pitch-black. Then, one by one, torches that ran along the walls lit up to reveal a familiar-looking room. In the center, a series of chains lay limply on the floor.

"Is everyone here?" Tai asked as he looked around the dimly lighted room. "We didn't leave anyone behind, did we?"

Joe shook his head. "We're all here."

"How about you guys?" He looked at the Inversed-Destined. "Are you all here?"

Mamoru nodded. "All present and accounted for."

Tai sighed and leaned against the wall. "How long until you think Muertamon will figure out we're here?"

"When he realizes he can't track us, he'll assume we're in one of the Sacred Places," replied Firiomon. "How long until he realizes where in the Temple of the Ancients? It depends on how quickly he rules out the other seven."

Majestimon curled up next to Lycanthromon. "How was that monolith able to fly like that?" she wondered.

Leiko shook her head. "We didn't know it could do that. And that'll make it even harder to destroy it."

"Destroying it is impossible right now," Matt said, slamming his fist onto the stone floor, and ignoring the blood that welled up from the scrapes. Mimi noticed, though, and tore off a strip of her dress to wrap it around his knuckles. "Thanks," he said, somewhat surprised. Mimi smiled.

"We need a new plan," Tai said, his grip on the Sword of Courage turning his knuckles white. "There's no way I'm just going to sit by and let that creep hide out in his floating fortress and take over the Digital World. We defeated Devimon, and Etemon, and Myotismon, _and_ the Dark Masters! I think we can handle this creep, if we can just figure out what his weakness it. We can't give up!"

The Sword of Courage glowed in response.

Firiomon let out a strangled gasp as a strangle sensation overcame him. His legs buckled, almost knocking him off his feet. 

Wataimon looked at him. "Firio? Firio, what's wrong?"

"I . . . don't . . . know . . ." he gasped out. 

And the Temple of Ancients began to glow.

What new situation have the Digi-Destined gotten themselves into? Just what is Muertamon's final plan? Can the team figure out his weakness – before he destroys everything? Find out next time in Digi-Destiny #8 COURAGE UNDER FIRE.

****

Author's Notes: As usual, I request questions, comments, and complaints – if there are any! I love feedback, and I take everything into consideration. Man, I didn't expect to get this part done so quickly, considering how long it's taken me on the others. Maybe this is a pattern I should keep up. I guess that means I better get started on #8, huh? For now, check out the preview below:

COURAGE UNDER FIRE

Everything is changing.

Makoto is dead.

And now, Tai and Firiomon have found themselves in an even stranger situation – one that could lead both of them to a new, stronger power. A power that might be Muertamon's undoing. 

The Digi-Destined must find the key that unlocks this power. A key that will forever bind them to Desti-Digimon . . . for better or for worse. 


	8. Courage Under Fire

Digi-Destiny #8

COURAGE UNDER FIRE

Chapter One

Firiomon was in pain, there was no doubt about it. He'd never experienced anything like the pain he was in. It was as if his entire body was freezing up, as if his blood were slowing and becoming solid, as if someone had thrown him into a large pot of ice cubes and left him for a hundred years. 

Next to him, Greymon was beginning to experience similar attacks. He fell to his knees, shaking and shivering, trying desperately to warm himself up.

And through it all, the Sword of Courage and the Temple of the Ancients just continued to glow a fiery orange. Tai stared in shock as his partner and the Desti-Digimon he had come to think of as a friend seemed to become more and more paralyzed with each passing second.

"What's going on?" shouted Sora, trying to be heard over Firiomon and Greymon's roars of pain. "What's happening to them?"

Wataimon shook her head. "I don't know," she whispered. "Firio? Firio, what's wrong? Answer me!"

But Firiomon was beyond words. His whole body felt completely numb. 

"Look," Leiko gasped, pointing at Firiomon's legs. "Look!"

His skin was turning a strange gray color, and it was quickly spreading up his body. Next to him, Greymon had somehow managed to pull himself to his feet, but now he too was changing colors. Firiomon struggled with whatever was happening to him, but nothing was working. The paralysis was spreading faster. 

The last thing to change in Firiomon was the Crest of Courage marked on his wings. For Greymon, is was his eyes. They looked in Tai's direction, a pleading expression in them, and then turning the same gray, stone color as the rest of them.

Stone . . . 

Deceptmon cautiously approached the two. Pressing his hand against them, his eyes widened in shock. "They've been turning to stone," he breathed.

"What?!" Tai exclaimed, finally coming out of his shock and standing up. "Are they . . . they aren't dead, are they?"

Deceptmon shook his head. "No. I can sense their life forces. But it's as if they've been entirely encased in stone. And I haven't the faintest idea as to why."

Greymon? Is that you?

__

Firiomon? 

Yes.

__

What happened?

I . . . I'm not sure. Can you hear them?

__

Yeah. I hear them. They don't know what's going on, either. Do you have any ideas.

Well . . . 

__

Firiomon?

This is just a theory. But I think what happened is that when the Sword of Courage and the Temples of the Ancients interacted with each other, it triggered my digivolution to Mega form. 

__

Then why are we stone statues?

Some sort of key ingredient is missing. Something wasn't right, and it caused us both to get stuck in limbo.

__

Oh. Well, how do we let Tai and the others know?

That's the problem. We can't.

__

I was afraid you were going to say that.

I should've said something before I was completely encased in stone. But I was too caught up in how much pain I was in.

__

I know. Same here. But you know, if we were digivolving, shouldn't Tai's Crest and Digivice have been going off? They weren't.

I know. That's what's puzzling me about all of this. 

__

Maybe Muertamon has something to do with it.

Maybe . . . 

__

Firiomon?

Hello? You still there?

Yeah, I'm still here. I was just thinking.

__

About what?

Just something from the past. It's not important right now.

__

Oh. 

You know, this is getting pretty boring.

Any idea how we should stop being bored?

__

Hmm . . . how about playing 'I Packed My Digimother's Trunk'? Tai taught it to me.

I've never played it. How does it go?

__

Well, first we start out like this: I was packing my digimother's trunk for a trip, and in the trunk I packed an Airdramon. Then you have to say, I was packing my digimother's trunk for a trip, and in the trunk I packed an Airdramon and then you add something that begins with a B. Then we just keep going through the alphabet until someone misses an item. Then we start over.

Okay. So, let's see. I packed my digimother's trunk for a trip, and in the trunk I packed an Airdramon and a Biyomon.

__

I packed my digimother's trunk for a trip, and in the trunk I packed an Airdramon, a Biyomon, and a Coelamon.

I packed my digimother's trunk for a trip, and in the trunk I packed an Airdramon, a Biyomon, a Coelamon, and a Drimogemon.

__

I packed my digimother's trunk for a trip . . . 

"I just can't figure it out," muttered Kozou as he walked around Greymon. "What could've caused this? And why was it only these two?"

"What made the Temple of the Ancients light up, Matt?" T.K. asked his older brother. 

"I don't know, T.K.," Matt replied. "And no one else seems to, either."

"This whole thing is beginning to give me the creeps," Mimi said, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her head on top of her knees. "I want to go home."

"We _all_ want to go home," replied Sora. "But we can't until we defeat Muertamon."

"Easier said than done," Joe said. "If you ask me, none of this would've happened if we hadn't followed Gennai's message in the first place."

Kozou, Kaede, Shigeru, Mamoru, Leiko, and all the Desti-Digimon stopped what they were doing and looked at him. "You know Gennai?" demanded Ospreymon. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Was it important?" Joe asked, wiping his glasses off on his shirt. 

"Yes!" they all shouted. 

The newer Digi-Destined sweatdropped. "Okay. I give up. _Why_ is it important?"

Shigeru sighed and looked at Lycanthromon, who looked like he was getting a headache. "You mean he never told you?" Lycanthromon asked.

"Told us what?"

Shigeru brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Gennai used to be a Digi-Destined. There were originally ten of us."

__

"Any word from Gennai?" Makoto asked Gen.

Gen shook his head. "Nope. Not a word. It's as if the guy just disappeared. Why do we even have to communicate with him, anyway? He's off on his own so often, he might as well not even be a part of the team."

Makoto sighed. "I know, I know, but face it, without him and Tigramon, we wouldn't know a lot of things about the Digital World. They've been here the longest."

"Hrmph," Gen pouted. "Stupid Crest of Kindness."

Dracomon and Imagimon looked at each other. They were about twenty feet away from their partners, close enough to hear and yet far enough so that they wouldn't get dragged into the conversation. "Jerks," muttered Dracomon. "How many times have Gennai and Tigramon managed to save their lives? Now that's what I call a team."

Imagimon nodded. "If Gennai were here, we'd probably already have a plan laid out for how we're going to confront Muertamon. And we'd probably know what's taking Avimon and Katrimon so long."

"Are you sure you can't figure it out?" Dracomon asked.

Imagimon scowled. "You know I have a hard time checking up on other Desti-Digimon."

"Sorry." Dracomon looked at his partner. "Imagimon?"

"Hmm?"

"What's your reason? I mean, it's obvious that you don't like Gen – why do you defend him?"

"Because it's my duty," replied Imagimon. "I'm the Desti-Digimon of Knowledge, he is the Digi-Destined of Knowledge – to not protect him would be as impossible as a human being breathing underwater without the aid of magic."

Dracomon sighed. "Come on. Let's go see if the others have found out anything."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we almost there yet?"

"No."

"When will we be there?"

"Mimi, be _quiet_."

"Leave her alone, Tai, none of us are in good moods right now."

"Shut up, Matt. I'm entitled to be in a bad mood."

"We should've brought more Digimon with us. Just to be on the safe side."

"Joe, are you saying that we aren't good enough to protect all of you?"

"That isn't what I meant, Ikkakkumon."

Tai, Mimi, Matt, Joe, Ikkakkumon, Wataimon, Togemon, and Garurumon moved steadily through the forest on their way to what they hoped would end up being Gennai's house. None of them were exactly sure where the house was – it'd been awhile since they'd been there. And it didn't help that they were all tired and they'd had to leave most of the team back at the Temple of the Ancients.

Wataimon had temporarily 'adopted' Tai, serving as a stand-in for Firiomon and Greymon. Kaede and Sora hadn't been happy about this, but they'd compromised by letting Birdramon stay behind. Birdramon hadn't been too pleased, especially when Ospreymon started hitting on her again, but at that point they didn't have anymore time to argue.

"Explain to me again why _I_ had to come?"

"Because you know how to use your weapon," Tai explained, obviously sick of explaining to her. 

"No, I don't."

"Mimi, you used it earlier. What do you mean, you don't know how to use it?"

Mimi tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I was going on instinct," she said. "It just sort of happened."

Tai stopped. "And you couldn't have told us this before?"

"Tai, _back off_," Matt said in a warning tone. "It isn't Mimi's fault that Greymon and Firiomon ended up the way they did. Don't take it out on her."

"Thanks, Matt," Mimi said, smiling.

Matt was thankful that it was still dark enough out to hide his blush. 

Tai sighed. "Gomen, Mimi. I'm just a little tense."

"We're all tense," Wataimon said.

Joe, who had continued to walk after the others had stopped, suddenly turned to look at them. "Hey, guys, I think we're here."

Chapter Two

Gennai wasn't the least bit surprised to see them there.

"Hello, Gennai," Wataimon said as they stepped into his lake house. She had to bend down to fit, but she managed to squeeze herself in. 

"It's been a long time, Wataimon," Gennai said, nodding. "The years have treated you well."

"It's hard to believe you're still alive," Wataimon replied. "But it's fortunate that you are. We have a problem."

"Firiomon and Greymon have turned into stone!" Tai blurted out. "And we can't seem to defeat Muertamon! Every time we figure out a way to get stronger, he does the same thing and stays one step ahead of us!" 

Gennai looked concerned, and nodded. "I'm aware of it. And now it seems that Muertamon has combined all of the Inversed powers. That is what has caused the monolith to get so powerful."

"So what do we do?" Mimi asked. "There has to be something we can do." 

"Well, how did you defeat Muertamon before?" Gennai looked at Wataimon. 

"We sealed him into the monolith," she replied. "But it was a temporary fix."

"Everything is temporary when you think about it," Gennai replied. "But perhaps there is a way now that didn't exist in the past. A way to make the temporary last longer."

"Can you put that into English?" Matt asked.

"Combine the Desti-Digimon with the newer Digimon," answered Gennai.

"I still don't understand," Joe said, shaking his head. "How does that help us with Firiomon and Greymon?"

Gennai looked at Tai. "What happened to Firiomon and Greymon was perfectly natural, considering. But which Key was missing?"

"Huh?"

He turned his gaze back to Wataimon. "The Keys," he repeated. "All the Keys are needed to trigger a successful digivolution."

"Right," Wataimon said. "The Digivice, the Desti-Digimon, the Sacred Place, and the Destiny Weapon. All are needed to allow the digivolution to Mega."

"But we had all of those," argued Tai.

"You named four," Gennai said, keeping his focus on Wataimon. "What about the Crests?"

Wataimon started to respond, but stopped. "The Crest of Courage," she whispered.

Tai realized it at the same time. "My Crest didn't glow," he said. "But _why_ didn't my Crest glow?"

"That's something you're going to have to figure out on your own," Gennai replied. "It may be the only way to free Firiomon and Greymon."

It was extremely late the next night when the group returned to the Temple of the Ancients. While the others headed down to the center chamber to get some sleep, Tai stayed up near the entrance. The temple was like one of the ancient Mayan or Aztec temples in Central and South America, so he was able to see for miles from where he was. 

"Tai?"

Tai looked up to see Sora standing next to him. "Why aren't you downstairs with the others?" he asked.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay." She sat next to him. "Are you okay?"

Tai fingered the Crest of Courage. "Why didn't my Crest glow, Sora? Was it because it's power was stretched too thin between Firiomon and Greymon? Or was it because I don't have enough courage for both the sword and the crest? I don't understand."

Sora wrapped her arms around him. "It's okay, Tai," she said. "We're going to figure out some way to bring Firiomon and Greymon back. I promise."

"But Sora," Tai whispered, pulling away and looking at her. "What if we lose the other Digimon first?"

Tai finally did go to sleep, but it was the strangest sleep he'd ever had. In it, he was standing in the middle of what looked like a very large forest. And he was surrounded by people. Some were people he'd never met – a tall, purple-haired girl with glasses, a boy who looked like a younger version of him, right down to the goggles, a tall violet-haired boy dressed in a pristine white school uniform, a short, quiet-looking boy holding a kendo stick. There were also two non-Japanese boys, both with blond hair, but the older one definitely had a more sophisticated air about him. Others were people he definitely knew, but they all seemed older – there was Matt, holding a guitar case. Sora, dressed in a high-school uniform and holding a tennis racket. There was Izzy, with a decent haircut and his laptop, as usual. Joe, Mimi, and Kari, and T.K. were all there, too. 

And then there was someone else. He was half obscured by the shadows, but the person he was with wasn't. Tai recognized him immediately. "Makoto?" he called. "Makoto, is that you?"

Makoto was talking to the group around him and his friend. "_There were actually ten of us, believe it or not._"

"_Ten?_" Older-Izzy echoed. "_I thought there were only nine Crests._"

"_There were the nine Virtue Crests_," the other boy corrected. "_Courage, Love, Friendship, Reliability, Sincerity, Hope, Light, and Kindness_. _Then there was the Rogue Crest: Destiny. That was mine. I never really considered myself a part of the original Digi-Destined team, though._"

The boy with goggles frowned. "_What does this have to do with us?_"

Older-T.K. rolled his eyes. "_Would you just be quiet and listen for a minute, Davis? I'm sure they'll get to the point._"

The other boy – Davis? -- glared at T.K. "_When I want your opinion, T.M., I'll ask for it._"

"_Davis, please don't fight with T.K._," Older-Kari said.

Davis immediately stopped fighting with T.K. 

The shadowed boy glanced at Makoto. "_The thing is, we're having a lot of trouble dealing with this latest crisis. Without all the Keys, the last two Desti-Digimon will remain locked away._"

Older-Matt was beginning to look impatient. "_So why don't we just go track down Dracomon and the others, have them digivolve, and then go find the rest of the Keys for the last two?_"

"_It's not that simple_," Makoto interjected. "_Muertamon has resealed the Sacred Places. And he's using his inversed powers to cancel out the power of the crests._"

Tai suddenly woke up. "Whoa," he whispered. "What was that all about?"

He didn't sleep for the rest of the night.

Gennai sat in the middle of his house, thinking silently about the past. As a Digi-Destined, he'd experienced things that earlier he'd believed no child should have to go through. But he also knew that the Digi-Destined and their Digimon were imperative to survival of the Digital World and of the real world. 

Tigramon had taught him that.

That was why he had later gone on to help create the new team. Of course, he didn't tell the others who were watching over the Digieggs that there was another purpose for the Crests and Digivicees, but it hadn't been a big deal. 

And then Gatomon had been separated from the others.

Devimon had hidden the Crests.

Etemon had established his Dark Network.

Myotismon had attempted to destroy the true world.

The Dark Masters had almost succeeded in doing just that.

And now Muertamon was back. 

Gennai shook his head. "I have a lot of faith in those kids," he said. "They're more of a team than we Originals were. But I wonder if they have enough power to defeat Muertamon."

The wind blew softly through an open window, as if speaking to Gennai. He looked up and noticed that it was coming from the North.

"You're right, of course. We need to trust them. But still, I'm getting an extremely bad feeling about all of this."

The wind blew softly again.

"I think it's time we activated the back-up plan," Gennai continued. "The others are being monitored, correct?"

A wind chime shook gently in confirmation. 

Gennai stood up and went over to a little chest in the corner of the room. Opening it, he removed a wooden box. Nestled inside the box were two Crests, and six Digivices. "You know what to do with these," he said to the wind. "Take them through time, and alter destiny. We're counting on you to secure the future, Dakota."

The wind blew again, and the box disappeared. 

"I hope I'm doing the right thing," Gennai whispered. 

Chapter Three

"You wanted to see me, Lord Muertamon?"

Muertamon turned to look at Batmon. "Yes. I want you to do me a favor. I'm going to be occupied here for quite sometime, and I'd like you to keep those meddling Digi-Destined occupied. Think you can manage it?"

Batmon nodded. "What about the Originals?"

"Bring them to me. It isn't necessary for them to be alive when they get here, since they'll have to be dead for the ritual anyway, but it is absolutely imperative that I get them."

"And the Desti-Digimon?"

"Worthless, now." A smirk appeared on Muertamon's face. "No, I've basically decided that I don't need those tiresome Digimon for this."

"I thought Digimon were needed for the ritual."

"Precisely. But seeing as how Champions are much easier to capture than Ultimates are . . ."

Batmon finished the thought. "You'd rather I capture Greymon and the other newer Digimon. What about Angewomon? She's an Ultimate."

"Doesn't matter. I need a Digimon of Light. Either Majestimon or Angewomon will do, although I would prefer the latter, seeing as how combining her power with Angemon's would make me even stronger."

"Understood, my Lord. Leave everything to me. I'll succeed where those brats have failed."

"I'm counting on it, Batmon," Mutertamon said. He turned back to the wall in front of him. Eight glass tubes ran from the floor to the ceiling, and three of them were occupied. The lifeless bodies of Makoto Kamiya, Gen Izumi, and Akane Tachikawa floated in front of him. "Soon you'll have more company," he said to his prizes. "And then the Ultimate Powers will be mine."

Izzy walked over to Deceptmon. "Can I ask you a question?"

The humanoid Digimon turned to look at the boy. "Of course. What is it?"

Kabuterimon looked up from where he was resting near the wall. "I'd like to hear too, if that's all right."

Izzy nodded. "I was just about to ask you to come over here. Anyway. Deceptmon, I was wondering if you could explain these 'Ultimate Powers' to me. I've heard you Desti-Digimon talking about them constantly, but you've never explained what they were."

Deceptmon leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. When he opened them, they had a somewhat faraway look in them. "The Ultimate Powers. Well, as you know, each Crest contains a certain virtue. Yours, for example, is the Crest of Knowledge. I am the Desti-Digimon of Knowledge, thus the embodiment of the Crest. The Destiny Weapons were designed to enhance the powers of the Crest. The Digivices were created to make the digivolving process easier on us Digimon and make it possible for us to move to the next level. And the Sacred Places were where all of these things were first created, and the center point of all the powers."

"I see," Izzy said. "So you are the embodiment of the Crest of Knowledge, which is enhanced by the Staff of Knowledge. The Coliseum is where you, the Crest, the Digivice, and the Staff were first created, and so it's the center of the powers of Knowledge. But that still doesn't explain the Ultimate Powers."

"There are ten," Deceptmon said. "Nine Virtues, and one Rogue. To unleash the Ultimate Powers, all the keys need to be together. So myself, the Crest and Digivice of Knowledge, the Staff, and you have to be present at the Coliseum in order to unleash the Ultimate Knowledge Power."

"What exactly do the Ultimate Powers do?"

"The legends say that once unleashed, the Ultimate Powers combine the Keys with the Digi-Destined, and grants the powers of the Digimon to the Digi-Destined itself. I'm not quite sure what they mean by that."

"Deceptmon, there's something else that's been bothering me. It has to do with Firiomon and Greymon. If what you say is true, then why didn't the Ultimate Courage Power become unleashed once we got here? I mean, Tai has the Sword of Courage, he has the Crest and Digivice, we're in the Temple, and both Firiomon and Greymon were here."

"It doesn't make sense," agreed Kabuterimon.

Deceptmon thought for a minute. "The best I can come up with is that something is still missing. Not one of the Keys – we have all of those – but perhaps the very Virtue itself."

"But Tai has plenty of courage!" Izzy protested.

"Are the Ultimate Powers something that gets unleashed automatically, or do you have to command them?" Kabuterimon suddenly asked.

"You have to command them," replied Deceptmon. His eyes widened. "But Taichi didn't even know about them."

"Which suggests that what happened to Firiomon and Greymon might have nothing to do with the Ultimate Powers at all," Izzy realized. 

"Or maybe there's a new addition to the equation of the Powers," Deceptmon murmured. "But what is it?" 

Izzy, Kabuterimon, and Deceptmon realized it at the same time. "The power is being stretched too thin!" exclaimed Izzy. "We have all the Keys, but that's the problem! With Greymon around, there were _too many keys!_"

"So when the Temple thought Tai was calling the Ultimate Powers – and he might have been doing that without even realizing it – it got confused about which Digimon to use," Kabuterimon said. 

"So the Powers were unleashed, but caught in limbo," Deceptmon finished, "causing both Firiomon and Greymon to become encased in stone!" 

"I've got to go tell Tai," Izzy said, standing up. Then suddenly he paused. "Um, now that we know what happened – what do we do to fix it?"

Deceptmon frowned. "I'm working on an idea, but I need to check something first. Go fill the others in. I'll be back." He disappeared. 

"I really hate it when he does that," Kabuterimon complained. 

If Gennai was surprised to see Deceptmon, he didn't show it when the large Ultimate showed up in the form of a fish. 

"Come in, before you drip water on the carpet," Gennai said as he allowed the Digimon into his home. "Has something happened to the Digi-Destined?"

"No, but we might have figured out the reason behind Firiomon and Greymon's accident," Deceptmon replied, shedding the fish and regaining his main form. 

He quickly ran through the conversation he'd just held with Izzy and Kabuterimon. "The only problem is, now that we know this, we don't know how to fix it. Until we can figure out a way for the Ultimate Powers to relinquish their hold on one of the Digimon, we're in trouble."

"Perhaps they don't have to relinquish the hold," Gennai said. "From what little I know about the Ultimate Powers, it's natural for it to spread to anything connected with the Crest of Courage. No doubt it will always recognize Greymon and Firiomon as being Digimon of Courage. So unless you're planning on killing one of them . . ."

"We're completely against that," Deceptmon said quickly. 

Gennai nodded. "And another problem. Should you attempt to unleash the Ultimate Powers for any of the other Virtues, save Sincerity and Knowledge, you might end up with a similar effect with the Digi-Destined. There are two living Digi-Destined for each of the remaining Virtures."

Deceptmon groaned. "This is getting better and better."

"There could be a way, though."

"How?" demanded Deceptmon.

Gennai looked thoughtful. "Now, this is just a theory, and I've never actually heard of it happening, but what if we could figure out a way to combine Firiomon and Greymon together into one form? The power that could result from it might be enough to drag Firiomon into his Mega form, and thus allowing the Ultimate Courage Power to join with Tai. And if this were successful, the same process could be used on the rest of you."

Deceptmon stared at Gennai. "How do you come up with these ideas, anyway? Even I can't figure it out."

"Simple. I have a part-time job with the Psychic Friends Network," Gennai answered. Decpetmon looked at his suspiciously, not being able to tell if he was serious or not. One never could tell with Gennai. 

"Okay," he said after a minute. "Now that brings us to the other problem. _How_ do we get Firiomon and Greymon to digivolve into each other?"

"That I don't have an answer to," Gennai said. "But I might know someone who does. Go back to the Temple and tell Izzy to stay near his laptop. I'll have information for you soon."

Meanwhile, back at the Temple . . . 

"So that's basically what the three of us figured out," Izzy finished, looking at the group assembled around him. 

Mamoru shook his head. "Unbelievable. Even in our time, we never could figure out how to use the Ultimate Powers."

Leiko looked at Majestimon. "You were right, I suppose. If we had gone to search for them . . ."

"No time to think about that now," Wataimon said briskly. "The most important thing is figuring out how to snap Firio and Greymon out of this. Let's hope Deceptmon has some answers when he gets back."

"Oh, Deceptmon has answers," Deceptmon said as he appeared out of thin air. "But the answers might be even more confusing than the questions."

"Anything's better than what we've got," Tai said eagerly. "Well?"

"According to Gennai, it seems that the most plausible way to correct this problem is to somehow get Greymon and Firiomon to digivolve together," Deceptmon answered. "Then the Ultimate Powers will only recognize _one_ Digimon of Courage. Hopefully, the power from Greymon should be enough to digivolve Firiomon into his Mega form."

"Mega?" Matt demanded. "You guys can digivolve to Mega?"

"Theoretically, yes," Sakuramon replied. "Have we ever done it? No."

"Mega form? That's like when Agumon and Gabumon became WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, right?" Mimi asked. 

Matt nodded. "That's right, Meems."

"_Meems?_" Tai mouthed to Sora. She rolled her eyes and smacked him playfully on the hand. 

"_Be nice_," she mouthed back. 

"So did Gennai happen to mention how we accomplish this?" Kozou asked.

Deceptmon shook his head. "No. But he did say he'd look into it. Koushiro, you should stay near your laptop, just in case."

Izzy nodded. Then suddenly he stood up. "Trouble!"

"What are you talking about, Koushiro?" Shigeru asked. "There's no . . . trouble! Uh oh, he's right. I don't know how he could be right, but he's right. We've got company!"

"Who?"

Lycanthromon came charging into the room. "Batmon's here, with some of his regular cronies. I don't know how long Angemon can hold them off!"

"Let's go!" Tai shouted. 

"That's beginning to annoy me," Matt muttered to Mimi and T.K., who both nodded in agreement. 

"**Hand of Fate!**" Angemon cried, attacking a swarm of Shadowmon. The attack easily passed through them. "That's not fair," he muttered. 

"**Sandstorm Rage!**" Lycanthromon jumped up to stand on a ledge next to the floating Angel Digimon. "Sorry it took me so long."

The Sandstorm Rage slammed into a couple of Shadowmon and a few Vinemon. It actually did some damage.

"I don't get it," Matt said. "Why does Lycanthromon's attack work but Angemon's doesn't?"

"It's because Lycanthromon is an Ultimate Digimon, while Angemon is Champion," answered Izzy. 

Tai clenched his Crest. "Then lets get our side stronger. I'll back you guys up with the Sword of Courage."

Deceptmon frowned. "Wait, Taichi. Leave the Sword in the Temple. I can't explain it now, but I know it's important."

The young boy looked startled. "Okay, Deceptmon, if you say so. I'll still back you guys up as best as I can."

"So will I," Angewomon replied, since she was already in her Ultimate form. 

Mimi looked at Togemon. "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Angemon!" T.K. shouted. 

"Do it, T.K.!"

Matt, Mimi, Sora, Izzy, Joe, and T.K. all shouted together, "Digivolve!"

"**Garurumon** digivolve to . . . **WereGarurumon!**"

"**Birdramon** digivolve to . . . **Garudamon!**"

"**Angemon** digivolve to . . . **MagnaAngemon!**"

"**Ikkakkumon** digivolve to . . . **Zudomon!**"

"**Togemon** digivolve to . . . **Lillymon!**"

"**Kabuterimon** digivolve to . . . **MegaKabuterimon!**"

Behind a large tree off to the side of the Temple, Batmon smiled to himself as the Digimon went from Champion to Ultimate. _This is perfect. Now we'll be twice as powerful. The ritual will go off without a hitch._ He turned to the Digimon next to him. "You know what to do."

Phantomon nodded. "Leave everything to me."

Chapter Four

"**Flower Cannon!**" Lillymon fired once at a small group of Roachmon, who instantly turned tail and ran as they were bombarded with the sweet-smelling attack.

"Nice one, Lillymon," Sakuramon called up to her. "**North Wind!**"

"**Cobra Strike!**" hissed Diamamon, lunging at the nearest section of assorted evil Digimon, wrapping himself around them, and squeezing them into oblivion. 

"**Garuru Kick!**" growled WereGarurumon, taking about one Shadowmon and a bunch of trees. 

"**Celestial Arrow!**" cried Angewomon. 

"**Supreme **-- **Light Shield!**" Majestimon barely managed to gasp out as several Shadowmon launched themselves at her. They hit the shield and disintegrated. 

"All these Digimon are dying," murmured Kari. "This is horrible."

"They're all servants of Muertamon," Leiko said harshly. "They deserve it."

Kari just shook her head. 

Something pulled at the corners of Izzy's mind. He spun around. "MegaKabuterimon, look out!" he shouted.

The blast of evil energy slammed into the huge Ultimate's back, sending him tumbling head over heels into the ground. The ending crash resulted in a huge tremor running through the ground. Instantly, everyone froze, afraid to see what had taken MegaKabuterimon out like that.

Two figures hovered in the air. "It's been a long time, Digi-Destined," Phantomon said. "I look forward to facing you in batte again."

"Phantomon!" shouted Tai. "How in the world did _you_ survive?"

Batmon smirked. "When you work for Lord Muertamon, death means nothing."

"What do you want, Batmon?" snarled Lycanthromon. 

Batmon glanced indifferently at the Desti-Digimon. "I just want to pick up the package that Lord Muertamon ordered," he said. "They're very rare items indeed."

"Quit talking in riddles," snapped Matt. "What do you want?" 

"Shut up, boy," Batmon hissed. Then the smirk reasserted itself on his face. "I've already got three of my prizes. Now I'm here for the other twelve." He closed his eyes and snapped his fingers. 

Strange glows immediately appeared around the Digi-Destined and the Digimon. "What's going on?" Angewomon cried in confusion.

Shigeru struggled against the binding glow. "It's an energy beam!" he shouted. "Batmon, what are you doing?!"

"Claiming the prize," he replied. He turned to look at the newer Digi-Destined. "I'll take those," he said, using his power to pull the Desti-Weapons from their grasps. "Say adios to your little friends." Then, with a flash, he, Phantomon, and the Weapons were gone.

Along with Mamoru, WereGarurumon, Kaede, Garudamon, Leiko, Angewomon, Shigeru, MagnaAngemon, Kozou, Zudomon, Lillymon, and MegaKabuterimon. 

The instant they were gone, the Desti-Digimon and the newer Digi-Destined were unfrozen. "They're gone," whispered Joe. "They're all gone."

Tai stared at the spot that Batmon had been in. Then he gasped. "The Sword!" Spinning around, he ran back into the Temple, only to find that the Sword of Courage, much to his relief, was still right where he'd hidden it. Upon further inspection, it was revealed that Firiomon and Greymon were still, although stone, right where they'd been left. 

"How did this happen?" demanded Izzy. "Answer me, Deceptmon! And why are the Sword and Greymon still here."

Deceptmon looked grim. "Batmon's power couldn't penetrate the barrier around the Temple," he said. "So long as we have the Keys of Courage, we have a chance. But first we have to wake up Firiomon and Greymon."

"And then we go get MagnaAngemon and the others back?" asked T.K.

Lycanthromon knelt next to the young boy. "Yes, Takeru. Then we go get the others back."

Chapter Five

Seven Digimon were chained to a wall opposite eight capsules. Each capsule contained the lifeless forms of the original Digi-Destined. "I don't believe it," whispered Angewomon. "He _killed_ them. He took away the life he gave them."

WereGarurumon shook his head. "And there was nothing we could do about it."

"Come on, cheer up," Lillymon said, trying to sound encouraging. "We'll get out of this. Remember, they're still missing most of the Courage. And Mimi and Sakuramon will find us." 

"There's one thing I can't figure out," Zudomon said. "Why did they take _us_? Wouldn't it make more sense to take the Desti-Digimon."

"I took you because the Desti-Digimon are useless to me now," a deep voice said from the doorway. He stepped from the shadows. "So you're the annoying Digimon who never seem to know when to quit."

He was eight feet tall with black hair that trailed down his back and stopped just below his knees. A black mask covered half of his pale face, and the one visible eye was a deep purple. Silver armor plates wrapped around his chest and arms, but his shoulders were left unguarded. His lower body, also humanoid, was encased in the same sort of armor, only instead of silver it was black. His feet ended in talons, like a Tyrannosaurus, his hands were deadly claws, and his ears swept back in elfish points. 

"Allow me to introduce myself," he said, smirking. "My name is Muertamon. That's _Lord_ Muertamon to you."

"Never!" spat Garudamon.

Muertamon's eye narrowed. "I'd watch your beak if I were you, birdie," he said in a soft, silky voice. "Especially if you want to keep it attached to your face."

"What do you want with us?" demanded MagnaAngemon.

"You'll find out soon enough," Muertamon said. "Right now, I'm getting ready to have a little party, and there's still so much more work to be done. And don't worry – you're _all_ invited." With an evil laugh, he turned and slipped silently from the room.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this," MegaKabuterimon groaned. 

Chapter Six

The entire Temple was eerily silent that night. The only sounds that existed came from the quiet conversation the Digi-Destined were having.

They'd all surrounded the statues of Firiomon and Greymon, and then forced the Desti-Digimon to get some sleep. But none of the Digi-Destined themselves were able to relax enough to drift off.

"Without the Destiny Weapons," Matt said, stretching out on the floor, "we don't stand a chance."

"I wonder what Muertamon wants with them," Kari murmured. "I mean, what could he accomplish with just the Weapons?"

"But he doesn't have just the Weapons," Izzy pointed out. "He's got the original Digi-Destined _and_ our Digimon partners. Except for Courage."

Tai didn't look thrilled. "Great. So now the only one of us who has the power to even scratch Muertamon is me, and I can't do anything until we figure out how to snap these two out of it," he groaned, motioning to the looming statues they were lying next to.

Mimi sniffled a little. "I don't like this," she said, drawing her knees up to her chest. "I want to go home!"

Matt put his arm around her shoulders and gently squeezed. "Come on, Meems, don't be like that. Everything's going to work out all right in the end. You'll see."

Mimi wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "But what if it doesn't?"

"We'll just have to do the best that we can," Joe remarked.

"That's right," Sora agreed. "Remember, if we work together we'll make it through in the end."

Tai ran his fingers along the flat edge of the Sword's blade. "I don't understand any of this," he muttered. "None of it!"

"Maybe I can shed some light on the situation."

All heads turned at the unexpected voice. "Gennai!"

Chapter Seven

"So, did you manage to figure out how to bring Firiomon and Greymon back?" Tai asked eagerly after Gennai had taken a seat in the circle and the Desti-Digimon had been woken up.

"Yes," Gennai said, "and no."

"Don't start that again," Joe complained. "Can't you ever give us a straight answer?"

"What did you come up with, Gennai?" Deceptmon asked.

"There is a way to bring Firiomon and Greymon out of their suspended state," Gennai began, "but it's a job that requires only Taichi. The rest of you can't help in the matter. Which, I suppose, is a good thing."

"How do you figure?" demanded Wataimon.

"While Taichi works to bring these two back, the rest of you can go after your missing friends. I heard about the whole thing from Elecmon, who heard it from Unimon, who heard it from Piximon, who somehow always knows what's going on in the Digital World."

"But Muertamon has the Destiny Weapons," T.K. said. He bit his lip. "How can we possibly beat him?"

"You don't," answered Gennai. "You just need to stall him long enough for Taichi to accomplish what he needs to do."

"You still haven't explained what it is that I need to do," Tai said.

Gennai turned to look at him. "You must go on a journey," Gennai answered. "But it's not a regular journey, it's a journey through your mind and heart. Somewhere deep inside lies the key to unlocking the Ultimate Courage Power and freeing your trapped friends. 

"I'm going to stay behind with Taichi and prepare him for this journey, and also watch over him as he goes through it. The rest of you should head for the monolith as soon as possible. There's no time to waste, and Muertamon grows stronger with each passing moment."

"Gennai, do you know what he's planning?" Izzy asked.

"No, I do not," answered Gennai, "but I have a pretty good guess. There's no need to worry you about it right now – the important thing is that you _stop_ him."

Matt nodded. "You can count on us, Gennai."

Tai sighed. "I guess I'm staying here. Good luck, you guys. I'll join you as soon as I can."

Chapter Eight

"Close your eyes and relax," Gennai told Tai after the others were gone. It was just the two of them now, surrounded by flickering torches. Tai was lying flat on his back with the Sword of Courage lying on his chest, the tip of the blade pointing at his chin. "Picture Greymon in your mind. You must picture every form you know him to be in, good and bad. Take a few deep breaths, and keep their images in your mind."

Tai breathed deeply. _Botamon_, he thought, picturing the little black Baby Digimon. _Koromon_. His 'talking head' friend appeared in his mind. _Agumon_. The little yellow dinosaur had risked his life for him so many times. _Greymon_. He could still remember the first day he digivolved, when Shellmon attacked. _SkullGreymon_. Tai struggled not to shudder at the thought of the monstrous mistake. _MetalGreymon_. Going after the Crests had definitely been worth when he'd shown up. _WarGreymon_. He remembered the feeling of Angewomon's arrow, and then amazement when he saw what his partner had become. 

"Now picture Firiomon. Once again, every form."

Tai almost panicked. He didn't know Firiomon's forms! But then, it was as if another subconscious mind had joined with his, and more images began. _Tamamon_. A little egg-type Baby appeared, with a small lizard's head poking out of the open top. _Flamemon_. An In-Training this time, looking like a small, red pineapple, only instead of leaves at the top it was flames. _Scalemon_. This Rookie looked a lot like Agumon, but was once again red, with a pair of wings sticking out of its back. _Dracomon_. Even though he wasn't Tai's original partner, he still stuck by him. _Firiomon_. The memory of the first time Firiomon had appeared, when fighting DevilDragumon, popped into Tai's mind along with the picture. And then another image appeared. _Who are you?_ Tai whispered silently. The name was on the tip of his tongue, but he could say it, couldn't think it, couldn't . . . 

Gennai watched as a strange orange glow emanated from the Crest of Courage, surrounded the Sword, the Digivice, Tai, Firiomon, Greymon, and then the Temple of the Ancients itself. 

Chapter Nine

"How much farther to the monolith?" Matt called up to Wataimon. He was perched on Diamamon's head, keeping himself in place by gripping the horns protruding from the Digimon's head. 

"We should be there shortly," Wataimon called back. 

It was somewhat rough keeping up conversation between those who were on the ground and those who were flying, but the group had managed to stay close enough together so that they could do it. And it helped that the Desti-Digimon had excellent hearing.

Up ahead and to the right, Matt could just make out Lycanthromon, who even in Ultimate form was still the fastest out of the group. _He could probably go faster_, Matt reflected, _if T.K. weren't riding on his shoulders. _They'd decided that it would be safer for each Digi-Destined to pair up with their matching Desti-Digimon, just in case they were separated. That way, the Crests and the Digimon would stick together. 

Sakuramon and Mimi were keeping up a steady pace next to him and Diamamon, but neither seemed to be in a very talkative mood. Matt glanced over at Mimi, hoping to catch her attention, but she was just sitting atop Sakuramon, clutching the icy tendrils of hair to keep in place. 

The sky was the most crowded. Spaced out enough so as not to attract too much attention, and still too close to be completely inconspicuous, were Ospreymon, Wataimon, Majestimon, and Deceptmon. The Desti-Digimon of Knowledge had surprised everyone – except Izzy – by being able to fly, even though he didn't appear to have wings of any form. They were spaced in a diamond-shape, keeping an eye out for danger. 

"Are you okay, Yamato?" Diamamon asked as he slithered along. 

Matt snapped himself back to the real world. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine."

"Worried?"

"A little." He sighed. "What if Tai doesn't catch up to us in time? What if we're too late to save WereGarurumon and the others?"

"We might have a small problem."

The two bearers of Friendship looked over at Sakuramon. "I didn't want to say anything before," she said hesitantly, "because I wasn't sure, but I'm beginning to feel the proof. So long as the others are digivolved into their Ultimate forms, save Angewomon, they're using the powers of the Crests. Meaning our power is being drained."

Matt groaned. "Great. Just great. Couldn't you have mentioned this before?"

"Matt, be quiet," Mimi whispered. "Now is not the time."

Matt fell silent. "I know that, Meems. Sorry."

Just then Ospreymon, who was leading the group, circled around and hovered over them. Everyone slowed to a stop. 

"It's time," Joe called down softly. "We can see the monolith up ahead."

Ospreymon frowned, something that was hard to do with a beak. "And I think they're expecting us."

Matt thought this over. "Okay. Everybody get on the ground. No flying. Let's sneak in as close as we can before they spot us. Spread out, but stay within eyesight of at least one other pairing." 

Diamamon began to move forward, angling himself away from Sakuramon, but not before gently nuzzling her neck. "I hope this works," he said. "For all of us."

Matt nodded. "Here we go."

Chapter Ten

Tai felt like he was floating in mid-air. Everything around him was pitch black, except for a strange orange light in the distance. 

"Hello?" he called, his voice echoing in the strange cavernous world. "Gennai? Greymon? Firiomon? Anyone?"

There was no answer. Silence stretched out around him. 

__

Oh, this isn't good, Tai thought uneasily. _Gennai, I did everything you said, but now I'm stuck in this strange place. Somebody get me out of here!_ "HELLO!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. 

"Taichi?"

Tai spun around and found himself face-to-face with . . . "Makoto?"

The older boy smiled. "I'm surprised to see you here."

"Where am I?"

"Limbo," Makoto replied. "It's where we all are, now. Me, Gen, Akane, and more recently Mamoru, Shigeru, Kaede, Kozou, and Leiko."

"But that would mean . . ."

Makoto nodded sadly. "Yeah. We're all dead now. Or again. Muertamon is planning on using our life forces in a ritual to call upon the Ultimate Powers – the _Inversed_ Ultimate Powers. Even as we speak, he's already beginning to change your friends' Digimon."

Tai paled. "But . . . but how . . ."

"The only reason I'm speaking to you now is because he hasn't begun to change Courage. You've managed to keep the Keys from him. Tai, you _must_ stop Muertamon. Even if . . ." Makoto's voice trailed off, and he looked sad.

"Even if it means destroying WereGarurumon and the others in the process," Tai finished. "Makoto, I can't do that."

Makoto nodded. "I know. You're a better person than I was, Taichi. I probably wouldn't think twice about destroying the Desti-Digimon if our situations were reversed. And I'm not proud to say that."

"Makoto . . ."

"Firiomon and Greymon are here, too," Makoto said. "They're right beside you. You just have to will them to be visible."

Tai's eyes widened. 

"Use the Keys, Taichi."

Tai realized then that, for the first time, he was holding the Sword of Courage. Reaching under his shirt, he pulled out the Crest of the Courage, and then unclipped his Digivice from his waistband. "But I don't have the Temple."

"You're _in _the Temple, Taichi," Makoto answered. "You know what the do." Behind him, the orange light pulsated brightly. "Win this fight for us."

"Thank you, Makoto." 

Makoto shook his head. "Don't thank me, I haven't done anything to deserve it. If anything, _I_ should be thanking _you_. You've made me proud to be a Kamiya."

Tai gasped, and his eyes widened. He started to ask Makoto what he meant, but just as suddenly as the former Digi-Destined had appeared, he'd vanished. 

And then Tai could feel their presence. Familiar, and comforting.

__

Use the Keys, Taichi.

Tai drew in a deep breath and watched as the Sword of Courage, the Digivce, and the Crest all glowed to match the pulsating light. On either side of him, two more dark shapes began to glow as well. And slowly the darkness disappeared as it was consumed by the light.

"We're ready, Taichi."

"Go for it, Tai."

Tai opened his eyes. "For Makoto, for my friends, for the fate of this world and all others, _Destiny Digivolve!_"

TO BE CONTINUED IN

DIGI-DESTINY #9 UNIFICATION


	9. Unification

Digi-Destiny #9

UNIFICATION

Chapter One

"_Destiny Digivolve!_"

Everything seemed to explode with a bright, orange light. Tai had to close his eyes in order to avoid being blinded, but even then the light was still bright enough to be seen. When he'd finally adjusted, he opened his eyes.

He was standing within the Temple of the Ancients. The Sword of Courage floated in front of him, glowing. His Digivice and Crest shared the same glow. Gennai was nowhere to be seen, but on either side of him, he could definitely see Firiomon and Greymon. They were both glowing.

"**Firiomon!**"

"**Greymon!**"

"Destiny Digivolve to . . . **Volcanmon!**"

The glows died down, and Tai saw for the first time what he had been unable to see happen.

In the place of Firiomon and Greymon stood a huge Mega Digimon. He was a Dragon Digimon, with flaming red scales. On his legs, back, head, and tail he wore Chrome Digizoid armor. His wingspan was about forty or fifty feet, and his tail topped out at twenty, making him a total of fifty feet in length. A wild mane of orange-gold hair ran down his neck. Dagger-like spikes ran down the sides of his neck and the sides of his tail. His green eyes gleamed brightly, and his claws were sharp and made out of what looked like Chrome Digizoid as well, although Tai couldn't be certain. 

Volcanmon looked around the Temple. "Weird," he said. "I feel . . . different."

Tai tentatively took a step forward. "Firiomon? Or . . . Greymon? No, that's not right . . . um . . ."

The Digimon turned to look at his partner. "Volcanmon," Volcanmon said. "I'm both Firiomon _and_ Greymon, combined."

"So the Ultimate Courage Power created you?"

"That's right." 

Both Digimon and Digi-Destined turned to look at Gennai, who had positioned himself near a corner when the digivolution took place. "And that's not all the Ultimate Powers created," Gennai said. "Look at your Crest, Taichi."

Tai looked down at the tag and crest dangling from his neck. His eyes widened when he realized that the tag surrounding the crest had changed. It was, in fact, his digivice! The two had somehow combined to create one item. 

"The combination Digivice and Crest should allow you even greater power," Gennai said. "You two better get moving. I have a feeling your help is going to be needed."

Tai looked at Volcanmon. "Well?"

"Lead the way," Volcanmon replied. 

Matt winced as a tree branch smacked him in the face. "Ow."

"Shhh," hissed Diamamon. 

"Sorry," whispered Matt. "Okay. Forward slowly."

Diamamon began to slither forward. They were almost to the edge of the forest, to the clearing the monolith was hovering over. 

Over to the right, Matt could see Lycanthromon and T.K. creeping along behind a set of bushes. To the left, Mimi and Sakuramon were mimicking his and Diamamon's movements. 

Diamamon stopped suddenly, his tongue flicking out. "Do you smell that?" 

Matt sniffed the air. "No. What is it?"

"Familiar," was the reply. "And . . . evil." His eyes widened. "Oh, no. We've got to get out of here. We've got to get out of here _right now!_" 

Matt clutched the boomerang tightly. "Whoa, easy, Diamamon," he said as he almost slid off the giant snake's neck. "What's the big rush?"

But Diamamon was near panic now. Whatever he had smelled, it had frightened him completely. And now other scents assaulted him, scents that he didn't even want to think about, and was hoping he was wrong about them. But he wasn't. Familiar scents . . . totally evil . . . it couldn't be. It just couldn't be.

But he knew it was.

Suddenly a bright light switched on, illuminating the clearing. "Come on out, Desti-Digimon," Muertamon called. "Come out and face your undoing."

Slowly, the seven Desti-Digimon and their Digi-Destined wards came out of the woods.

Matt felt his heart stop beating. He literally felt it _stop._ In the center of the clearing, just underneath the monolith, stood seven familiar Digimon. But it was clear by their eyes that they were no longer familiar. 

"WereGarurumon," Matt cried, or tried to. The only sound that came out of his mouth was a strangled whisper.

And now a new figure entered the clearing. He appeared floating above them as a hologram. "Welcome to my playground," Muertamon said, "and welcome to your death."

"Hurry up, Volcanmon!" Tai urged. "Something isn't right."

The huge dragon breathed deeply as he flapped his wings to gain altitude. "I know, Taichi," he said. "I can feel it. There's something seriously wrong here."

Tai glanced around. "Hey, how far are we from the Sacred Places?"

"The Caves of Ai are a few miles to the right," Volcanmon replied, "and in the opposite direction is the Forest of Tears and Mirage Lake. Other than that, I don't know. Why?"

"Is it just me, or has the sky begun to look really strange?"

Volcanmon glanced around and noticed what his partner had already noticed. Off to the right, a deep red color had begun to fill the sky. To the right, green and gray mixed together. And several miles to the north, he could just make out a pinkish tinge to the sky. "I don't like this," he muttered. "I don't like this at all."

"Would it be too much trouble to take a detour to Mirage Lake and the forest?" Tai asked.

"Not at all," Volcanmon replied. "In fact, it might be a very good idea, all things considering."

"What do you mean?"

"My eyesight's extremely good. And I could've sworn I saw Phantomon heading in that direction."

Tai groaned. "Oh, great. He's working for Muertamon."

"I know," Volcanmon replied. "I heard everything while being stone." He angled his wings and began a graceful turn. "Let's go have a little talk with him."

Gennai stood at the top of the Temple of the Ancients. In the distance, he could see the different colors lighting up the sky. Red, blue, green, gray, yellow, pink, purple . . . the Sacred Places were falling into alignment. 

But he knew that it wasn't the Digi-Destined calling on the others. Although Tai had been the one to activate the powers sealed in the Temple, the other seven were being activated by Muertamon.

It was the only explanation. 

A cool breeze wafted by Gennai. 

"Did you finish the task I had for you?" Gennai asked.

The breeze blew gently. 

"Taichi and Volcanmon are on their way to the monolith," he continued. "I fear the worst for the others. Muertamon's up to no good.

"It's obvious that he's trying to gain the Ultimate Powers for himself, but how he's going about that is a mystery to me. Do you have any ideas?"

The wind was eerily calm.

"No? Too bad." Gennai sighed. "Have you been to the Tower recently?"

A few leaves in the trees shook as the breeze kicked up again. 

"I haven't. But then, you can travel a lot more often than I can. How are they?"

The temperature dropped slightly, and Gennai shivered. 

"Lonely? I suppose that's understandable. I really should make a point to go there soon. You remembered to distribute the last two, didn't you?"

The wind was slightly harsher.

"Okay, okay, I get your point. Yes, I really should trust you more often. Sorry. Can I ask you a favor?"

A tumbleweed blew by.

"I'm not even going to ask where you got that from. Anyway, on your next trip to the Tower, will you tell him that I miss him? And that I'll visit him as soon as possible."

The tumbleweed blew back from the opposite direction.

Gennai smiled slightly. "Thanks, Dakota."

Chapter Two

"**Garuru Kick!**"

"**Celestial Arrow!**" 

Diamamon and Majestimon dove to the side as the two attacks came at them. Matt and Kari huddled in the bushes as they watched their beloved Digimon fight with their new friends. A few feet away, Mimi and Izzy sat, and a few feet from _them_ were Sora, Joe, and T.K. They were all watching the battle with wide eyes.

"**Horn Blaster!**" growled MegaKabuterimon. Deceptmon vanished, then reappeared behind the Ultimate. 

"Fight it, MegaKabuterimon!" shouted Deceptmon as he attempted to pin down the giant Insect. "You have to fight it!"

"**Horn Blaster!**" Deceptmon couldn't get his shield up in time, and hit the ground with a sickening crack. 

"Deceptmon!" Wataimon roared. She turned from the aerial fight she was in, but was cut off by Garudamon. 

"**Wing Blade!**" 

"**Water Shield!**" Wataimon winced as the powerful attack pushed against her shield. It was barely holding. Her power was drained because they were both sharing the Crest of Love. 

"**Vulcan's Hammer!**"

"Ospreymon, look out!" shouted Joe. Ospreymon tilted his wings and winced as the shockwave went past his feathers, just barely missing them. 

Lycanthromon tumbled head over heels as MagnaAngemon swiped at him with his sword. 

T.K. clenched his fists. _Stop it,_ he cried in his head, _you have to stop fighting!_

"This isn't getting us anywhere," Sora breathed. Then her eyes widened. "Oh, no. If MagnaAngemon uses his Gate of Destiny attack . . ."

And it seemed that was exactly what he was planning on doing.

T.K. didn't even stop to think. _Sorry, MagnaAngemon, but this is for your own good._ "Lycanthromon!" he shouted, sounding much older than he actually was. "Stop him!"

Lycanthromon looked at the young Digi-Destined, then at the Digimon he was facing. He gritted his teeth. "So it's come down to this," he whispered. "**Sandstorm Rage!**"

Matt saw what his brother had done, and shut his eyes. "No choice," he told himself. "Diamamon! Don't just sit there, do something!"

"Please, Majestimon!" called Kari. "Anything is better than letting Muertamon have them!"

"I don't want to do this," Diamamon told WereGarurumon, "but you leave me no choice. **Cobra Strike!**"

"**Supreme Dawn!**" intoned Majestimon, striking out at Angewomon.

__

No, Mimi thought. _No, I can't make the decision._

Izzy looked numbly at Deceptmon, who still hadn't moved. And he looked at MegaKabuterimon, who was advancing on him. "Mimi, Deceptmon can't do anything. He'll be destroyed. Mimi, please. Sakuramon's the closest."

Mimi watched Sakuramon dodge Lillymon's Flower Cannon. "I can't," she whispered, hugging her knees. "I just can't do it." A tear trickled down her cheek. "I can't fight this battle."

Izzy grabbed her by the shoulders. "Mimi, listen to me! That isn't Lillymon. Muertamon's doing the same thing to her that Kaede did to Dragumon. She has to be stopped." His voice cracked a little as he went on. "So does MegaKabuterimon. They all have to be stopped."

Sora watched Izzy and Mimi's conversation. She took a deep breath. "Wataimon, save Deceptmon!" she called up.

"You, too, Ospreymon!" 

The two flyers looked at each other and nodded. 

"**Whirlpool Suction!**"

"**Talon Slash!**"

The full force of both attacks hit Garudamon and Zudomon, and the remaining power was just enough to push back MegaKabuterimon. Sora couldn't bear to watch her partner get hit, but she also couldn't tear her eyes away from the sky.

Because a new figure had just appeared from the clouds. 

"Who is that?" Kari asked Matt.

Matt couldn't believe his eyes. "It's . . . a Digimon. But I . . . I've never seen . . ."

Muertamon stared up at the newcomer. "Batmon, this is an unfortunate turn of events."

Batmon nodded. "Leave things to me." He floated out to the middle of the battle and faced the new Digimon. "**Knives of the Night!**" 

"**Fire Shield!**" roared Volcanmon. An immense shield covered the entire clearing, destroying Batmon's attack and any others that threatened the Desti-Digimon or the Digi-Destined. 

"Matt." 

Matt spun around and found himself face-to-face with Tai. Kari gasped and threw her arms around her older brother. "I knew you'd come," she said. 

"Let's get out of here," Tai said. "Volcanmon will buy us the time we need to go. We have a lot to talk about."

Matt nodded.

A ragged group of humans and Digi-Destined assembled at the Temple an hour later. 

"So let me get this straight," Matt said after Tai had filled them in on recent events. "Somehow, Greymon and Firiomon have Destiny Digivolved together to create Volcanmon. And your Crest and Digivice have combined into one item." He shook his head. "And have you managed to figure out why the Sacred Places are glowing?"

"As a matter of fact, yeah," Tai said, nodding. "While we were on our way to the mononlith, Volcanmon and I ran into Phantomon. He happened to be on his way to Mirage Lake. We cornered him and got him to reveal that Muertamon was planning on taking the remaining Ultimate Powers for himself. That's why he took the original Digi-Destined and our Digimon."

"That's doesn't make sense," Sora said. "The Originals and our Digimon aren't even connected. It would make more sense to take either the Desti-Digimon and the Originals, or us and our Digimon."

"The Desti-Digimon have grown beyond Muertamon's reaches," Gennai spoke up for the first time since the meeting had started. "And the Originals are connected to the Sacred Places. If Muertamon could use the Desti-Digimon, it wouldn't matter which set of Digi-Destined he used, since the Desti-Digimon are also connected to the Sacred Places. But so long as they are out of his reach, he must use your Digimon, and he must use the lifeforces of the Originals."

By now, everyone had pretty much figured out that all eight of the Originals were dead. Again.

"So how do we stop him?" Joe asked as he nervously wiped off his glasses.

"He hasn't called the Powers yet," Volcanmon replied. "There might be a way for you to intercept each Power as he calls upon it. The tricky this is, in order for it to be intercepted, both Digimon and the Digi-Destined of that Virtue must be at the Sacred Place the moment it's called."

"This just gets scarier and scarier," T.K. said. "Can we at least get some sleep first?"

Tai nodded. "We'll be safe here in the Temple."

Muertamon glared at the seven Digimon in front of him. "Pathetic," he snarled. "Absolutely pathetic. You couldn't even take out the Desti-Digimon when they're on the same level as you."

Batmon stepped forward. He was the only one with enough guts to actually say anything. "Perhaps it's time to put the plan into action."

Muertamon nodded. "Batmon, who is ready as of now?"

"Phantomon managed to prep Mirage Lake before he was taken down. I can prepare Akane, Lillymon, and the Chakram immediately."

"Then do it," his master growled. "Having the powers of Duplicity will greatly change the balance of this match. Those Digi-Destined don't stand a chance."

As the two evil Digimon plotted, they were completely unaware of the strange, green light surrounding Akane's body. _This isn't good_, Akane's spirit thought. Now that she was no longer being corrupted (or alive), she had begun to regain her grasp on her sanity. _I have to get this news to Gennai somehow. _

A pink glow flared up from around Leiko. _Try Dakota. I know he holds regular conferences with Gennai. _

Are you sure?

As sure as my name is Leiko Yagami. Go on. I'll split myself and inhabit your body for awhile. Those slimes will never know the difference. 

The green glow rose up from Akane's body and formed a small ball of energy. _I'll be back soon._

Chapter Two

Mimi rolled over on her side restlessly. She'd been trying to get to sleep for a few hours now, but hadn't been having much luck. To her left, Sakuramon slept peacefully, curled up next to Diamamon, and to her right, Matt seemed to be having just as much trouble as she was. "Matt? Matt, are you awake?"

Groggily he opened his eyes and rolled over to face her. "Meems? You should be asleep."

"I can't stop thinking about what happened today," she whispered. "Our Digimon _fighting_ like that. Against the Desti-Digimon. It just . . . just . . . Matt, they wouldn't have hesitated to kill us, would they?"

Matt stared up at the ceiling. "They wouldn't have," he finally agreed. "And I know that's hard to accept. But remember, WereGarurumon and the others are under the control of Muertamon. We'll break his hold over them."

Mimi shivered, and it wasn't because she was lying on a cold floor. "I hope you're right."

Matt reached over and took her hand. "So long as we work together, we'll make it."

__

You'll have to do more than that, a strange, familiar voice cut through Mimi's mind. She gasped and sat up, tightening her grip on Matt's hand.

"Who are you?" she asked out loud.

__

We met once before. Listen to me, Mimi Tachikawa. In approximately one hour Muertamon will begin to siphon off the powers of Sincerity and revert them to Duplicity. You have to get to Mirage Lake before that happens. You must_ intercept these powers. It'll free Lillymon from Muertamon's dark control, and it'll free my soul as well._

"Akane!"

__

Yes, I was once known as Akane. Akane Tachikawa._ Yes, I am you ancestor, Mimi, believe it or not. And that's why I know I can count on you. Do what you can do, and stop history from repeating itself! We need no more Digi-Destined here in the afterlife. _

"Mimi?" Matt called, his voice rising and waking up the others. "Mimi, what is it?"

__

Go, Mimi. Save your partner. The bond you have with her is something you must cherish forever. I know you can win this.

Then the spirit was gone, and Mimi was once again alone in her head. Suddenly she was aware that people were talking to her.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," she said, holding up her hands. Shakily she climbed to her feet. "We have to go to Mirage Lake. Muertamon's going to try and take the powers of Sincerity."

"How do you know?" demanded Joe,

"She just does," Tai cut in. He looked at Mimi with a level of understanding. "You talked to her. Akane."

Mimi nodded. "How did you . . ."

"I went through the same thing with Makoto." He shouldered the Sword of Courage. "Let's go get Lillymon back."

__

And so it begins, Matt thought. _The point of no return._

Chapter Three

Batmon stood before Mirage Lake. 

Floating above the center of the lake was the Chakram of Sincerity. The waters were a soft, glowing green. Clutched in his hand was a small green stone with the symbol of Duplicity etched on one side, and Sincerity on the other. 

He turned to the chained Digimon beside him. "Isn't this a lovely night, Lillymon?" he taunted her. "Perfect for gaining the powers of darkness."

Lillymon struggled against her chains. She had no memory of being under Muertamon's control, but seeing as how it was Angewomon and MagnaAngemon who had brought her here, she knew it had happened. "Just one question," she snarled. "Why did you free me from Muertamon's control? This would've been a lot easier for you if you hadn't."

"Because while under Lord Muertamon's control, you weren't exhibiting Sincerity. We need you as Sincerity for the ritual."

He watched as two Shadowmon placed Akane's body on the alter in front of him. Stepping forward, Batmon placed the stone on her chest. "And now the time has come. Awaken, powers of Sincerity, and return to your dark form! Return to your Master, the One True Lord!"

Lillymon struggled against her bonds, but it was no use. "Mimi," she whispered as she watched the green glow intensify. "I'm sorry."

'_I'm sorry_.'

Mimi heard Lillymon's voice and gasped. "What is it?" Sakuramon asked.

"Hurry!" Mimi urged the Desti-Digimon. "We're running out of time!" The Crest of Sincerity glowed in response to the statement. Sakuramon stretched herself as far as she could and sped up. It wasn't much, considering she was best in water, but it was the best she could do.

Then, suddenly, she was moving a bit faster. She glanced over and saw that Diamamon and Matt were right beside them, pushing them along. "Thanks," she whispered to the Snake Digimon.

"Anytime," he replied. 

Above them, the flyers strained their wings to stay in the air. None of them had gotten much sleep in the last twenty-four hours, and it was beginning to show. But sometimes saving the world was more important than sleeping. 

Izzy gripped Deceptmon's hair to keep from falling off his back. "Deceptmon, do you think we'll make it in time?" he asked softly.

"We've got to, Koushiro," replied the Digimon. "MegaKabuterimon and the others are counting on us. If we fail, it will mean the end."

"Yes, I know," Izzy agreed. "But something about all of this bothers me. It's been extremely quiet ever since we left the temple."

"You're saying we shouldn't have been able to make it this far without _some_ interruption," Deceptmon realized. 

"Precisely."

The Digimon cursed softly under his breath, then rose up in the air to level himself with Volcanmon and Tai. "Be on your guard," he instructed the two leaders. "Muertamon's bound to put up some sort of resistance."

Tai tightened his hold on the Sword of Courage. "Volcanmon?"

"He's right, Taichi. It's too quiet."

At that precise moment, Ospreymon called down from high up in the sky: "Shadowmon! At least twenty or thirty, coming from the west!"

"Deceptmon, get Sakuramon and Mimi to Mirage Lake. The rest of you, ATTACK!" roared Volcanmon. 

The minute he yelled attack, the Shadowmon did. 

Chapter Four

Batmon could hear the roars of the Desti-Digimon in the distance. The Shadowmon had intercepted them, just as planned. They couldn't have those meddlesome children fouling up the ritual at this stage.

The prone figures of Akane and Lillymon – one dead, one unconscious – were on either side of him. The Chakram glowed brightly from its position in the middle of the lake. The lake echoed the same glow. 

"Powers of Duplicity, of Destined and Inversed, I call to thee and summon thee," Batmon chanted, holding his hands over the green stone. "Infuse the Master with your everlasting power. Guide this world to its new order!"

The glow began to shrink, becoming centered in only the spot directly beneath the Chakram. 

Batmon was unaware of the large shadow moving closer and closer to him in the woods. 

"Muertamon, Lord of Death and Destruction, take now what belongs to you!" shouted the Digital sorcerer. "Let Sincerity flow out of Creation and die forever!" 

The stone glowed brightly, and shattered. At the same time, a bright column of green light rose from the lake, rising into the air at a perfect diagonal with the monolith. 

"**Guardian Deception!**" roared Deceptmon, firing his attack at Batmon. Batmon threw himself to one side and rolled. He looked up just in time to see Sakuramon burst out from the trees on the other side of the lake. She pushed off the ground and threw herself directly in the beam's path.

"NO!" shrieked Batmon. "NOOOOOO!"

Izzy pushed Mimi to the ground as the light surrounded Sakuramon and exploded, bathing them all with its color. "What's going on?" Mimi cried.

"I don't know," Izzy replied. Deceptmon came to a stop on the other side of the lake and stared. 

"**Sakuramon** . . ."

"**Lillymon** . . ."

"DESTINY DIGIVOLVE TO . . . **ROSESAKURAMON!**"

Chapter Six

Muertamon threw back his head and screamed in agony. He could feel the power of Duplicity changing . . . twisting . . . until all that remained was the sweetness of Sincerity. His hold over the tear-dropped virtue was gone forever. Everything he'd worked so hard to contain, gone in an instant. Mirage Lake. Akane Tachikawa. The Chakram. The Desti-Digimon of Sincerity. And the newest additions, Mimi Tachikawa and Palmon. Gone forever.

And the Ultimate Power of Sincerity was one step closer to being unleashed.

Trembling from the shock of having his newfound power ripped away from him, he stood and stared at the remaining prisoners. The lifeless forms of the other seven Originals floated before him. Makoto, he knew, was useless. He'd never had a chance at the Powers of Courage, all thanks to that meddlesome Gennai. And Gen, too, would serve no purpose. The astral powers that made up Knowledge were beyond even his grasp. They were on a level above him. 

Muertamon's gaze fell on one boy. Yes, he would be next. The Sacred Place was away from the others, on File Island rather than the continent of Server. It would take the Digi-Destined too long to reach, even with the aid of RoseSakuramon and Volcanmon. Batmon had escaped unharmed from the Mirage Lake disaster, and would begin his trek there immediately. 

"Infinity Mountain is mine," Muertamon whispered, "and you can't hope to stop it. I'm onto you, Originals. You'll never be able to reach the Digi-Destined in time through your astral projection. By the time they realize what the next target is, it will be too late. I'll make sure that there is no longer Friendship in this world or the true world."

He spun on his heel and walked out of the room to contact his loyal servant.

"_He's certainly cocky, isn't he?_"

"_Don't underestimate him, Shigeru. We need to warn Yamato and the others._"

"_I know, Mamoru, I know. But he's right about one thing – they'll never reach the Mountain in time._"

"_You boys don't think about these things clearly_."

"_Oh? And what's your plan, Kaede?_"

"_If you can't attack the source, delay it. I'm sure that the lack of a certain WereGarurumon will put a huge dent in Muertamon's little plan._"

Finally, the Original Digi-Destined were beginning to think as a team. 

The green glow died down, and Izzy, Mimi, and Deceptmon stared at the new Digimon.

RoseSakuramon was no bigger than Sakuramon had been, but she held twice as much power. Her body was a light pink, and a crown of flowers wreathed the top of her head. Her eyes had changed from green to a soft red. Vines wrapped around the last three feet of her tail. It was as if someone had taken Lillymon and transformed her into a serpent. As a finishing touch, the symbol of Sincerity was etched into her neck. 

"Amazing," breathed Deceptmon. "I had no idea that RoseSakuramon was Laciomon's Mega form. She's said to be one of the most powerful, and yet one of the most kind-hearted Digimon to ever exist. She's also fiercely loyal. Her Rose Thorn attack can counter any evil controlling force."

"Then I guess it's a good thing she's on our side," Mimi said, walking over to her. "Wow, you're gorgeous!"

RoseSakuramon smiled. "Thanks. Lillymon thanks you, too – we're both in her now. Don't worry, she's none the worse for wear due to Muertamon. But check out your Crest and Digivice."

Mimi looked down at the chain around her neck. Just like Tai's had, the Crest of Sincerity and Mimi's digivice had combined into one unit. "Pretty," she said approvingly. 

"That's my girl," RoseSakuramon said affectionately. Then she looked up. "The others are going to need our help. Grab your Chakram, Mimi, and let's get going."

"Right," Mimi said. She held out her hand to the Chakram, trying to reach it, but it was too far away. Then the Crest glowed once, and the weapon disappeared and reappeared in Mimi's hands. RoseSakuramon lowered her head, and Mimi climbed on. "Ready?" she asked Izzy.

Izzy gave her a thumbs-up. "Ready. Let's get back to the others."

Chapter Seven

Diamamon and Matt were not having an easy time. A dozen Shadowmon were wrapping themselves around them, making it increasingly harder to breath. And the others weren't having much luck. 

"Let . . . me . . . go!" gasped out Matt. 

A second later, a bright green blur shot by, sliced through the Shadowmon holding him, and returned to Mimi's hand.

"Mimi!" exclaimed Matt in surprise. "And . . . whoa. Who's that?"

"**Rose Thorn!**" shouted RoseSakuramon, firing a dozen thorns at a dozen Shadowmon attacking Majestimon. The Shadowmon fizzled and disappeared. 

"Thanks!" called Majestimon as she rose in the air with Kari hanging onto her back. "**Supreme Dawn!**" The bright light hit every Shadowmon, and they instantly vanished. It was easy to get rid of the Shadowmon – the hard part was getting the opportunity. 

The sixteen member group gathered together. "Muertamon's bound to start going faster with his ceremonies now that he knows we're onto him," Izzy said. "I think the best plan would be to split up and go to our individual Sacred Place. Once the Desti-Digimon have attained Mega status, they should move onto the nearest couple to protect them."

"Okay," Tai said, nodding. "Volcanmon and I will go with one pair, and RoseSakuramon and Mimi will go with another. The rest of you are one your own, but I don't think it'll be that big a deal."

"It won't," Deceptmon said. "In fact, Volcanmon and Taichi should probably go with Wataimon and Sora, while RoseSakuramon and Mimi accompany Diamamon and Yamato. The reason for this a simple – Infinity Mountain and the Caves of Ai are the most secluded of the eight Sacred Places. Lycanthromon and Takeru will stick with myself and Koushiro, because the Coliseum and the Sphinx are in the same region, and Hikari, Majestimon, Jyou, and Ospreymon should stick together as well. The Forest of Tears is a huge area, and both Mirage Lake and the Crater of Ken are located within it."

"Why are some of them spread out, but some are so close together?" asked T.K.

"It's because one hundred years ago, the Digital World was very different than it is today," Wataimon replied. "It used to be that the eight Sacred Places formed an eight-pointed star, but now they're all mixed up."

"So we double up and watch each other's backs," Matt said. "Sounds good to me. Let's not waste anytime." 

Tai nodded. "Let's . . ."

"Tai, I swear, if you say 'let's go' one more time, I'm going to hit you." 

". . . move out."

"Jerk."

"Thank you."

__

WereGarurumon, can you hear me?

Who's there?

__

Calm down. It's me, Mamoru.

You! What are you doing in my head? What's going on? Where's Matt?

__

He's fine, trust me. But right now, I'm afraid you're not. You're being held captive by Muertamon, and right now he's taking you to Infinity Mountain. He's going to try to use you in a ceremony that will grant him the powers of the Enemy, and then he's going to destroy Diamamon and Yamato.

WHAT?! You better have a plan, Mamoru.

__

Heh heh heh. Well, Muertamon certainly can't pull of his spell if you're not there. He's going to have to release his hold over you in order for the ceremony to take place. The only one at the ceremony is going to be Batmon, I believe. When Muertamon relinquishes his control, fight. Do everything in your power to stop the spell from happening. Give Yamato enough time to arrive at Infinity Mountain.

Wouldn't it be easier if I just left the mountain all together?

__

That's what I thought at first, but then Kozou reminded me of something. See, if you leave the mountain, then when Yamato and Diamamon get there the Ultimate Power of Friendship will never be released. All the keys must be present in order for you and Diamamon and Destiny Digivolve to Diamamon's Mega level.

So I just keep Batmon occupied until Matt and Diamamon arrive?

__

Exactly.

Couldn't you have found something more challenging for me to do?

__

Don't get too overconfident. 

Who, me?

__

You and Yamato. I can see why you're partners.

RoseSakuramon, Matt, Mimi, and Diamamon raced towards Infinity Mountain. "We have to go faster," Matt growled. 

Diamamon shook his head. "I'm going as fast as I can, Yamato. I'm not built for the water like RoseSakuramon."

"It's been almost two hours," complained Mimi. "The others probably need our help."

"Then go and help them!" snapped Matt. "I'm going to get WereGarurumon, and I'm not going to let Muertamon take the Ultimate Friendship Power."

Mimi stared at him, eyes wide. "Matt . . ."

He turned away from her and focused on the skyline up ahead. Was that land he was seeing?

"Don't worry," RoseSakuramon whispered to Mimi. "He'll come around. Diamamon's the same way when he gets determined."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mimi said. 

The Desti-Digimon of Sincerity glanced at the Desti-Digimon of Friendship, and they shared a knowing glance. But neither of them said anything. They knew it was a tense moment. 

"There!" Matt suddenly cried out. "That's File Island!"

"So it is," Diamamon said. "Let's go, RoseSakura."

"I'm right behind you, Diama," his mate replied. "Ready, Mimi?"

Mimi tightened her grip on the chakram. "Yeah. I guess."

On the shoreline, a equine Digimon waited. When the two Desti-Digimon hit the beach, he trotted over to them.

"If you're looking for Muertamon's forces," Unimon said, "you'll find them at the top of Infinity Mountain. I was just over there. It seems WereGarurumon is making it very hard for Batmon to begin the ritual. If you go now, you should be able to make it."

"Thanks, Unimon," Diamamon replied. 

"Is Majestimon around, by any chance?" Unimon asked. 

They all shook their heads. "She's headed for the Crater of Ken."

Unimon started to say something else, but RoseSakuramon quickly cut off what he was about to say. "Well, in any case, if you need help just shout. I know quite a few Digimon on the island who would be willing to give you a hand. Now get going!" 

With another chorus of good-byes, the foursome took off for Infinity Mountain. 

Unimon watched them go. "Good luck, Digi-Destined." 

Chapter Eight

T.K. and Izzy clung to the Desti-Digimon as they raced across the sand towards the Great Sphinx. The Coliseum, glowing purple, was just beyond the golden statue. 

"Deceptmon!" Izzy called over the sound of the rushing wind. "What if the ritual hasn't begun yet? What then?"

"Don't worry about it, Koushiro," Deceptmon said. "You and I are different than the others – Muertamon couldn't perform the ritual even if he wanted to. All we have to do is get to the Coliseum. The Staff is already in place."

Izzy nodded. Deceptmon had stashed the Staff of Knowledge in the Coliseum just prior to Muertamon's raid and capture of the other weapons. The Staff the evil Digimon had was a clever fake Gennai had created. 

"What about T.K. and the others?" Izzy asked worriedly.

"Look." 

The Great Sphinx appeared before them, glowing brightly in the evening sky. And there, perched on the top, was a Shadowmon. Batmon wasn't there yet, but the pieces were all in place for the ceremony to begin. MagnaAngemon, the Magic of Hope, the altar with the Despair Stones on it, and the container holding Shigeru's body. All it needed now was for Batmon to come and activate the stones and simulate to power of the Crest and Digivice. 

But T.K. and Lycanthromon would get there first to activate the power instead. 

"Good luck, T.K!" Izzy called down.

"You, too, Izzy!" T.K. called up. "Come on, Lycanthromon! The others are counting on us!"

"You heard him," Izzy said to Deceptmon. He kept his eyes on the Coliseum. "They're counting on us."

"Look," Deceptmon whispered as they left the Sphinx behind and approached the Sacred Place of Knowledge. "Muertamon's trying to stop us. He doesn't realize we have the Staff."

Izzy's throat tightened at the sight of MegaKabuterimon hovering over the massive structure. 

__

Don't fear, Koushiro, Gen's voice whispered in his mind. _Just get there and let the powers unfold._ There was no more malice in Gen's words. Whatever animosity he had felt before, whatever hatred Muertamon had filled him with in his second life was gone in his afterlife. 

Things were finally coming together. 

Chapter Nine

"We're not going to make it, we're not going to make it, we're not going to . . ."

"Jyou, be quiet!" Ospreymon snapped, interrupting the boy's mantra. "Stop being so negative! We're almost to the center of the Forest."

Majestimon could see the pink glow emanating just beyond the edge of the forest. "Osprey!" she called up. "Hikari and I are going to go on ahead to the Crater. Good luck!"

"Okay!" Ospreymon called. "Same to you!" Majestimon flapped her wings, caught a thermal, and flew off as a faster pace. Ospreymon veered off to the left. "We're here, Jyou."

Joe looked down and saw the same set-up that had been at every other sacred place: altar, Weapon, Digimon, Original. "Zudomon," Joe whispered, looking at his partner's unconscious form. "Hey, I don't see Batmon anywhere."

"He must be somewhere else," Ospreymon said. "Jyou, your Digivice and Crest! Get them ready!" 

Joe pulled said objects out of his pockets. "What now?"

"Hang on!" Ospreymon flapped once, drew back his wings, and dove for the area as fast as he could. Joe gripped his feathers so that he wouldn't fall off, but soon he forgot about falling as his Digivice and Crest lit up brightly. A beam of silver/white light shot up from Zudomon towards them. 

Joe closed his eyes to prevent himself from being blinded. At the same time, he caught sight of a similar beam, pink instead, off in the distance. 

"This is too easy," Sora whispered as Wataimon and Volcanmon flew over the location of the Caves of Ai.

"Not anymore," Tai muttered. "How are we going to get down there?"

"Leave that to me," Wataimon said. She stopped, hovered, and closed her eyes. The symbol of Love on her side lit up, and the water began to swirl beneath her like a whirlpool. 

Suddenly the water parted, revealing the Caves of Ai that had once been hidden by it. And, as expected, the altar lay in the center, visible through the entrance. Sora could just make out the shape of Garudamon as well. 

"Ready, Sora?" Volcanmon asked. 

Sora pulled her Crest of Love out of her shirt and held it up next to her Digivice. "Let's go, Wataimon."

Wataimon nodded. "See you in a few minutes, Volcan."

"Keep safe, Watai."

"Be careful, Sora," Tai whispered. 

Wataimon began to dive towards the Caves. 

Tai watched them fall, when he suddenly noticed something in the distance. "Volcanmon, look! Those lights!" 

Volcanmon looked. In the distance, beams of silver, gold, purple, and pink lights began to light up the sky. The green and orange glows of Mirage Lake and the Temple of the Ancients already colored the sky, and now the Forest of Tears, the Crater of Ken, the Sphinx and the Coliseum were joining them. 

"What about the Crest of Friendship?" murmured Tai. "Volcanmon, do you think Matt and Mimi are okay?"

But Volcanmon was too busy watching something else that had just appeared in the sky. 

The monolith. 

"_Hurry, Wataimon!_" roared Volcanmon to his mate. 

Sora clutched her Crest of Love tightly. "Do it now, Sora!" Wataimon roared as they came in sight of the Arrows of Love. 

"_Destiny Digivolve!_"

Chapter Ten

It was a stand-off. Mimi, RoseSakuramon, Diamamon, and Matt against Batmon and a captive WereGarurumon. 

"One more step," Batmon said, holding a long, sharp knife to WereGarurumon's throat, "and I slice him up like a loaf of bread."

WereGarurumon looked at Matt. "Sorry," he said softly. "I tried."

Matt had to restrain himself from running to his partner's aid, but that would've just put them all in greater danger. "It's okay, WereGarurumon," he said. "Don't worry. We'll get out of this."

Batmon laughed. "How? Move towards the power center and I'll destroy this Digimon. How exactly are you going to get out of this?"

A loud rumble echoed through the sky. 

"What is that?" Mimi asked, looking up. Matt did as well, and so did Batmon.

Diamamon lunged for the power center, straight into the beam of blue light that had just begun to appear. 

RoseSakuramon lunged for Batmon, wrapped her body around his and knocking his knife to the ground. 

Suddenly the sky exploded with color. Orange was first, then green, followed by gold, purple, silver, pink, and red. Then Infinity Mountain exploded with a brilliant blue glow. 

Batmon struggled in RoseSakuramon's grip. "**Knives of the **--"

"**Rose Thorn!**" hissed RoseSakuramon, stopping his attack before it could get started. 

Matt watched as Diamamon and WereGarurumon were surrounded by the same blue glow as the mountain.

"**Diamamon . . .**"

"**WereGarurumon . . .**"

"DESTINY DIGIVOLVE to . . . **ROGUEDIAMAMON!**"

Izzy gripped the Staff of Knowledge tightly as Deceptmon and MegaKabuterimon disappeared in an expanse of deep purple.

"**Deceptmon . . .**"

"**MegaKabuterimon . . .**"

"DESTINY DIGIVOLVE to . . . **MIRAGIMON!**"

T.K. stared with wide eyes as Lycanthromon and MagnaAngemon began to fade in a burst of golden light.

"**Lycanthromon . . .**"

"**MagnaAngemon . . .**"

"DESTINY DIGIVOLVE to . . . **SERAPHMEZZOMON!**"

Kari closed her eyes as the pink beam reflected off of Angewomon and Majestimon onto her.

"**Majestimon . . .**"

"**Angewomon . . .**"

"DESTINY DIGIVOLVE to . . . **GALAXIAMON!**"

Joe clutched Ospreymon's back as they turned silver, and he could feel the Desti-Digimon changing beneath his grip.

"**Ospreymon . . .**"

"**Zudomon . . .**"

"DESTINY DIGIVOLVE to . . . **GOLDENZUDOMON!**"

Sora buried her face in Wataimon's neck, but even with her face covered she could see the expanse of red stretching out in front of them.

Tai and Volcanmon gaped as the beam of red light enveloped Wataimon and Sora. "Can she digivolve with Sora on her back?" whispered Tai.

"Yes," Volcanmon whispered back. "Watch."

"**Wataimon . . .**"

"**Garudamon . . .**"

"DESTINY DIGIVOLVE to . . . **TSUNAMON!**"

TO BE CONCLUDED IN

DIGI-DESTINY #10 THE ULTIMATE POWERS


	10. The Ultimate Powers

Digi-Destiny #10

Digi-Destiny #10

The Ultimate Powers

The blue light faded. 

"Wow," breathed Mimi. Matt stared at the Desti-Digimon in shock. 

RogueDiamamon had the body of a king cobra, but the coloring of WereGarurumon. Blue stripes ran along white scales. The eyes hadn't changed, except to turn blue, and he was covered with silver Chrome Digizoid armor. For a second, he reminded Matt of MetalSeadramon, but unlike that crazy Dark Master, RogueDiamamon wasn't entirely covered in the armor. And, as expected, emblazoned on his scales was the blue symbol of the Crest of Friendship. 

Batmon edged away from the alter. "I'm beginning to think this wasn't such a good idea," he muttered. "I'm out of here."

He turned to go, but RoseSakuramon was blocking his path. "Going somewhere?" she said sweetly but threateningly. She narrowed her green eyes at him. "I think not."

"It's been a long time, Batmon," RogueDiamamon said in a deep, thundering voice. He looked at Matt. "Yamato, take these."

The Boomerangs of Friendship glowed once, disappeared, and reappeared in Matt's hands.

"Hey!" snarled Batmon. "What makes you think those belong to you?!"

RoseSakuramon brought her face down to his. "Excuse me?" she hissed. 

"Nothing," Batmon said quickly.

Mimi looked at Matt. "I guess even Batmon knows better than to deal with two Mega Digimon."

Matt nodded, staring at the Boomerangs. Then he looked up at Batmon. "You're going to answer our questions," he said calmly. 

"I'd rather be destroyed!" snapped the Ultimate. "**Knives of the Night!**"

"Yamato, get down!" shouted RogueDiamamon, throwing himself in front of the attack. "**Poison Shield!**"

"**Ice Shield!**" cried RoseSakuramon. "RogueDiama, don't waste your strength! We can't let him get away."

Batmon spread his wings and began to rise in the air. "None of you have wings," he said, smirking. "You can't catch me now."

RogueDiamamon bared his fangs. "We'll never reach him. He's too high."

__

I'm not letting you get away again, Matt thought. He brought one of the bladed boomerangs up to chest level, then pulled back his arm and snapped it forward, letting it sail towards the escaping Digimon.

The last thing Batmon saw before it slammed into his neck was a blue blur, and then . . . nothing. 

Mimi, RoseSakuramon, and RogueDiamamon watched as Batmon disappeared, his data heading for the Primary Village to be reconfigured.

"Batmon's an Ancient Digimon," RoseSakuramon said. "Can he be reconfigured?"

RogueDiamamon nodded. "Yes. But it'll take awhile."

"Matt?" Mimi walked over to him, but he didn't notice her. He stood there, seemingly unmindful that the Boomerang had returned to his hand. Matt stared at the ground, his blond hair drifting into his eyes. "Matt, are you okay?"

"What?" He snapped out of whatever reverie he had been in and looked at Mimi. "Why wouldn't I be, Meems?" 

"Why wouldn't you be Meems?" RogueDiamamon overhead. "Well, her hair's a lot longer, that's for sure, and . . ."

"Shut up, RogueDiamam," RoseSakuramon chided affectionately. 

Matt ignored them. "Come on. We better go find the others." He paused. "We might be better off heading for Tai and Volcanmon. The others aren't going to be very recognizable." He looked up at his Digimon. "Is it okay if I ride on you?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" RogueDiamamon lowered his upper body and allowed him to climb up. RoseSakuramon did the same for Mimi. "I'm a Mega Digimon, not a glass swan. You ride on MetalGarurumon all the time. I should know – in a sense, I'm also MetalGarurumon, although I fused with WereGarurumon, and my appearance seems to dominate from Diamamon."

"All this digivolving is making my head hurt," complained Mimi.

"Relax, Meems," Matt said, looking over at her. "Come on. We don't have much time to waste."

"Can I ask you a personal question, Yamato?" RogueDiamamon asked as they started on their journey down Infinity Mountain. Considering how big they were, it wouldn't be a long journey. "Why do you call Mimi 'Meems'?"

Matt felt his face heat up. "I don't want to talk about it."

"That answers that question," RogueDiamamon muttered. "RoseSakura, wait up!"

"Sora!" Tai shouted down to the Caves of Ai. After the explosion of light, he had lost sight of Sora and Wataimon. "Sora, where are you?!"

"Here, Tai!" 

Volcanmon and Tai turned around to see Sora and another Digimon walked towards them. They were on a cliff overlooking the Caves of Ai, once again covered by water. 

"You're not Wataimon anymore, are you?" Tai asked carefully. This was not a Digimon that you wanted on your bad side.

"I'm Tsunamon now," Tsunamon replied. She looked at Volcanmon. "Put your eyes back in your head, dear heart," she teased.

Tsunamon was only a foot shorter than Volcanmon, and her coloring was completely blue, like all her other forms. But there were bits of Garudamon mixed in as well. Her wings were made of feathers, and her talons (while still webbed) were birdlike. She wore a mask over her head similar to Garudamon's, but the only marking on it was the red Crest of Love. Streaks of red ran through the blue, giving a somewhat purplish hue to her scales, and her tail was made of blue flame. It was eerie, in a way. 

"Did you get the Arrows?" Tai asked.

Sora held up the bow and quiver, then strapped the latter over her shoulder and held the former by her side. "I'm not sure if I can use them, but I have them," she said. "And my Crest and Digivice combined, too."

Tai nodded. "We should hook up with the others," he said. "I wonder what the other Digimon look like now."

Volcanmon shook his head to clear it. He was still in awe over Tsunamon. "Yes. Let's get going. Where to?"

"Let's go back to the Temple," Tsunamon suggested. "It's the central most location." 

"Tai!"

The foursome paused and turned to look. "Who is that . . . wait. _Kari?_" Tai stared as his sister landed on the ground. Actually, what he was staring at was the Digimon that was carrying her. 

Galaxiamon looked almost identical to Angewomon. She had more silver in her wings and outfit, and her hair was pink rather than blond. The other major difference was that she didn't look human – while her body was humanoid, her head was a unicorn's, just like Majestimon's. She lacked the helmet, but instead wore a tiara around her forehead with the Crest of Light emblazoned on it. 

"Jyou and GoldenZudomon are right behind us," Glaxiamon said, setting Kari on the ground. "They've taken to the seas."

"I see them!" Sora exclaimed, pointing out over the ocean. Moving towards them at a fast clip was a Digimon who looked identical to Zudomon, but was completely covered in Chrome Digizoiod armor. There was one other major difference – the huge pair of golden wings that extended from his shell. "I wonder if he can fly with those things, or if they're just for show," she murmured. 

As if to answer, GoldenZudomon flapped the wings and exploded from the water to land easily on the cliff with the others. Jyou was perched on his back, clutching the Scythe of Reliability. 

"Has anyone seen T.K., Izzy, Matt, and Mimi?" he asked. "I looked for them on the way here, but I didn't see them."

"Hikari and I saw a cloud of dust coming in this direction while we were in the air," Galaxiamon replied. "That was probably Takeru and SeraphMezzomon."

Tai looked at Sora. "I guess we're staying here to wait for the others."

Muertamon stood rigid in front of his viewing crystal. "Batmon, you fool," he snarled. "How could you have fouled things up so much?"

"The Ultimate Powers are once again lost to us," a shadowy figure said from behind him. "You've failed again, Muertamon."

Muertamon stiffened. "My apologies, your Highness. There were outside influences that we did not expect. The appearance of the second team of Digi-Destined, and the failure to corrupt the first team. Also, it was unexpected that Gennai would help them . . ."

"_Enough!_" a second figure snapped. "You have disappointed us too many times, Muertamon. The Three-Who-Are-One don't take kindly to failure."

"And yet you are not the first to fail us," said a third figure. "Devimon, Etemon, Myotismon, Piedmon, MetalSeadramon, Puppetmon, and Machindramon have all failed us before. We will give you one more chance to redeem yourself, Muertamon."

Muertamon bowed low to the Triumvarite. "Thank you, Your Highness," he said. "I will not fail you again."

"See that you don't." The first figure faded away. 

"This is your last chance." The second figure faded away.

The third stayed. "Muertamon, how are you going to solve this problem now that the Ultimate Powers are lost?"

"The Ultimate Powers haven't been unleashed yet," Muertamon replied. "They are not entirely lost to us."

"I see. Good luck to you, then." The third figure began to fade away. "You'll need it." And it was gone.

Muertamon spun away from where the Triumvarite had stood. _They have many names_, he thought, _but who are they really? Three-Who-Are-One, Triumvarite, the Triad . . . who and what are they? And what do they want with the Ultimate Powers? So many questions, and no answers. _Once again, Muertamon was forced to accept the fact that he was not the most powerful being in the Digital World, although he was one of the more powerful. 

"If you want something done, you have to do it yourself." Muertamon had always been fond of that human saying, but he was tied to the monolith thanks to that damned first team. Fortunately, he wasn't helpless. 

He moved over to a series of tanks lined up against one wall. One of Muertamon's talents was possessing the dead husks of Digimon. He had long ago achieved success in preserving the bodies of Digimon just before they were reformatted, but had lost their souls. The only drawback was that he couldn't stay in one body for too long before it was destroyed. He would have to work fast.

"They're all Mega," he murmured. "I'll have to give them something of a surprise." He walked along the line of tanks and paused in front of one tank. Not even the Triumvarite knew he had this body in his possession. He'd been saving it for a special occasion. "This one is perfect."

"**SOUL TRANSFER!**"

"What was that?" 

Miragimon glanced over his shoulder. "What was what, Koushiro?"

Izzy frowned. "Something . . . I'm not sure what. But it gave me the chills."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Miragimon replied. "We've almost caught up to the others. I can see SeraphMezzomon and Takeru down there. Shall we go say hello?" 

"Sure. Why not?" Izzy held onto Miragimon's cloak as the Digimon began to levitate down to the other Mega. 

By the time RogueDiamamon and RoseSakuramon arrived with Matt and Mimi, the other six were already assembled. 

The Digi-Destined sat around a fire, with their Digimon positioned in a circle around them for protection. 

T.K. looked at SeraphMezzomon. His body was like Mezzomon's had been, and was covered with the same armor that had covered Lycanthromon. But he had MagnaAngemon's wings, and a helmet like Angemon's covering his head. The symbol of Hope glowed from the metal helmet. 

Miragimon was harder to see. It seemed that with every digivolution the Desti-Digimion of Knowledge made, it was harder and harder to distinguish his true shape. Imagimon had a set form, as did Deceptmon, although he would often change his shape. But he had a definite shape. It seemed, however, that Miragimon's definite shape was just a shadow that could twist and turn into any shape needed. At the moment, Miragimon had changed his coloring so that it mimicked the starlit sky, as well as the ocean and the ground. He was just standing there, on the edge of the cliff, and you had to look closely to see his outline. 

Strange.

"Does everyone have their Weapons?" Tai asked, looking at the group.

Izzy ran his hand along the smooth staff. "Yes," he replied. "Matt, are you sure Batmon was destroyed?"

Matt nodded stonily. 

Mimi looked at him worriedly. Matt had barely said two words to her the entire trip back from Infinity Mountain, and he hadn't opened his mouth since. She could sort of understand where he was coming from – two people, Akane and Batmon, had died at his hand. But . . . other Digimon had as well, when Matt ordered his Digimon to attack. And that had never affected Matt like this. 

"Let's get some sleep," suggested Sora. "It's been a long day. Tomorrow we can figure out what to do about Muertamon."

__

"Be on your guard," Makoto said to his companions. "Muertamon could be anywhere." He held the Sword of Courage like it was part of his arm. "His Soul Transfer makes it much harder to track him down."

Kaede strung an arrow and looked around. "I kind of wish Gennai and Dakota were here. Those two are pretty good at tracking."

Gen rolled his eyes. "Between Shigeru and myself, we don't need them. Right, Imagimon?"

The Desti-Digimon of Knowledge made noncommittal noise. He looked at Mezzomon and shook his head ever-so-slightly. 

"Give me a break, Gen," Shigeru said, conjuring an orb of light to float in front of them. "You're not that talented."

Gen spun around and glared at Shigeru. "You be quiet!" he snarled. "You're just jealous!" 

A low laugh echoed from all around them. "How amusing," a deep voice said. "How amusing indeed."

"Muertamon!" exclaimed Kozou, brandishing the Scythe of Reliability. Katrimon, where are you? _"Show yourself!"_

From out of the darkness stepped a horse-like Digimon. "What . . . a Centaurumon?" Akane murmured in confusion. "But it sounded just like Muertamon."

"Foolish child," the Centaurumon sneered. "I am_ Muertamon. **SOLAR RAY!**"_

Mamoru threw himself at Akane and pushed her to the ground, causing Laciomon to take the brunt of the attack. Cobramon was immediately at her side. "**POISON FANG!**"

"Stop!" Makoto snapped. "We don't know what he's capable of. We don't know how he changes forms like that."

Muertamon smirked. "This will be your final battle with me, Digi-Destined. It's finally ended. . . ."

Izzy sat up suddenly, breathing heavily. "Miragimon?" he whispered into the darkness.

"Here, Koushiro," Miragimon said from off to the side. "What is it?"

Izzy drew in a deep breath. "What's a Soul Transfer?"

"Soul Transfer?" Miragimon stared at his friend. "Where did you hear that?"

"My dream," Izzy replied. "I had a dream – it felt like I was in the past. You were all in your Champion forms, and the Originals were there, too. They were attacked by a Centaurumon who called himself Muertamon."

"The Soul Transfer is Muertamon's ultimate attack," Miragimon replied. "It took him centuries to perfect it. It gives him the ability to possess the bodies of other Digimon. How he does this, none of us knows."

"But why does he have to do that?" Izzy wanted to know.

"Because he's tied to the monolith. He can't leave it."

"If he can operate with the monolith, why didn't he attack _before_ we came here?" 

Miragimon shook his head. "I can't tell you this because I was sealed in the Coliseum during that time. I don't know who caused Muertamon to become immobile over those years."

__

So there might be another enemy that we have yet to face, thought Izzy grimly. "Thanks for clearing things up, Miragimon." Izzy started to lie back down, when he suddenly sat up again. "Can Muertamon still pull off that Soul Transfer?"

"If he has a body strong enough to fight eight Megas, he would," Miragimon replied. "He'd need another Mega. Not many Digimon reach that level."

"But could he have a Mega? From before he was sealed?" 

"Yes," Miragimon said slowly. "Yes, he could. In our time, there was an Ancient Digimon who's power rivaled our own. He disappeared very suddenly. But the odds of Muertamon having that Digimon's body . . ."

"Are very good indeed."

At the sound of the rumbling voice, Izzy and Miragimon, as well as the other two Desti-Digimon who were awake – SeraphMezzomon and GoldenZudomon --, turned at the sound of the voice. 

"Allow me to introduce myself," the unfamiliar Digimon said. "I am Muertamon. This form is the Ancient Digimon Nebulamon. A Mega Digimon."

"Everybody, wake up!" SeraphMezzomon shouted. "It's Muertamon!"

Nebulamon was a Dragon Digimon similar to Tsunamon and Volcanmon. His scales were the color of the early dawn, a blend of pink, purple, yellow, blue, and orange. His wings were those of a bat, and his tail tapered off into three prongs, like a trident. The other problem was that he was twice as big as Volcanmon. 

"Who the heck is that?" Tai exclaimed. 

"It's Muertamon," replied Izzy. "He's taken control of another Digimon's body."

"Nebulamon was an Ancient Digimon from the past," Galaxiamon said. "It was said that he was defeated when going up against the terrible Triumvarite, three Digimon who's power surpassed even the Mega level. But I thought that whole story was just a myth."

"Perhaps there's some truth to it after all," SeraphMezzomon said. "Takeru! The Magic of Hope! We need a protective barrier!" 

T.K.'s eyes widened as he looked at the gloves on his hands. "But I don't know how to work it," he said nervously. 

"Too bad for you!" roared Muertamon. "**Star Scream Super Nova!**"

He opened his mouth, a brilliant ball of light exploded from it. The beam was aimed straight for T.K. 

"Koushiro!" shouted Miragimon.

"_Protection!_" Izzy cried, throwing himself in front of T.K. Something beneath his shirt glowed purple, and the Staff of Knowledge glowed. 

The Star Scream Super Nova hit the protective barrier, and disintegrated. 

"What in the world?" Sora whispered. Everyone stared at Izzy in surprise. 

__

The Powers of Knowledge, thought Muertamon. _How has this little brat managed to master them so quickly?_

"Izzy, what did you do?" Matt asked.

Izzy shook his head in confusion. "I'm . . . I'm not sure." 

Mimi looked at him suspiciously. She could usually tell when someone was talking sincerely, and Izzy wasn't. He was keeping something from them.

Izzy bit his lip. "I can't keep this up forever," he whispered to himself. "T.K., you _have_ to take over! Please!"

"But . . . but . . ." T.K. shook his head. "I don't know _how!_"

The Crest of Knowledge glowed brightly at the words. The amethyst light enveloped the young boy, forcing everyone to shield their eyes. 

"What's going on?" Matt cried. "Izzy?"

The Crest of Knowledge disappeared, but the light remained. And somewhere in a distant desert, the Coliseum exploded in a shower of violet sparkles. A pillar of light sprang up from where it had been, raced towards Izzy, and connected with the light of the Crest. 

"Koushiro," Miragimon said, "summon the power!"

__

No, not that! Muertamon thought. _This can't be happening! Triumvarite, give me the strength I need!_ "**Star Scream Super Nova!**"

"**Powers that be, I summon thee, Ultimate Knowledge, I set you free!**" shouted Izzy at the same time.

Everything exploded. 

"**Fire Shield!**"

"**Water Shield!**"

"**Poison Shield!**"

"**Ice Shield!**"

"**Air Shield!**"

"**Desert Shield!**"

"**Light Shield!**"

The seven shields appeared before the Desti-Digimon and their Digi-Destined and reflected the sudden burst of power from Izzy. Muertamon, thankfully, didn't have the same ability. The power slammed into the Star Scream Super Nova and shattered it completely. It then continued on to Muertamon, throwing him to the ground. 

Tai lowered the hand that covered his eyes and stared, openmouthed. "What the heck just happened?" he whispered in awe.

"Where's Miragimon?" Kari asked, looking around. "He was right here."

"He's here," Izzy's voice came, but it sounded older, deeper and more mature. "He's here with me."

The purple light that had surrounded the young boy faded slowly. 

"I – Izzy?" Mimi gasped.

The Izzy that stood before them was not the Izzy who had thrown himself in front of T.K. and protected him. This Izzy had purple streaks running through his auburn hair. Flecks of purple were visible in his black eyes, and printed on his cheek was the symbol of Knowledge. A purple tunic covered his upper body, and it in turn was covered with a black chain-mail vest. He wore purple gloves on his hands, and in his left hand he held the Staff of Knowledge. His shorts had changed into long, purple slacks with high black boots that came up to his knees. A black belt finished the ensemble, and embedded in the center, where the buckle should've been, was the Crest/Digivice of Knowledge. 

"What in the world happened to him?" Matt murmured.

Volcanmon stared at the Digi-Destined in wonder. "Can't you feel the power?" he whispered. "He's unleashed the Ultimate Power of Knowledge."

Muertamon rose to his feet. "Little boy, you're going to regret this."

Izzy drew in a deep breath. He couldn't explain the way he felt at that moment. He was nervous, yes, and a little scared. However, he was also completely confident that he could withstand any of Muertamon's attacks in the form he was in. He _wasn't_ sure if he could destroy Muertamon, but he would take what he could get then. 

Muertamon drew himself up to Nebulamon's full height and let out a piercing roar. Kari and T.K. both slapped their hands over their ears to block out the deafening sound, and the others winced as they tried not to do the same. 

Izzy twirled the Staff of Knowledge easily. "Give me your best shot," he said, narrowing his eyes. 

"**Star Scream Super Nova!**"

The purple specks in Izzy's eyes grew and turned his eyes completely purple. "**Guardian Shield!**" he shouted. Miragimon's shield appeared before him, reflecting the attack. "**Electroshocker!**"

Kabuterimon's main attack exploded from Izzy's Staff, startling both sides of the fight. 

"How did that happen?" Sora gasped.

Tsunamon looked at Izzy in admiration. "Miragimon has merged with Koushiro," she said confidently. "He now has the attacks and powers of all the Knowledge Digimon." 

Sora glanced at her. "How did you figure that out?"

"I've done some reading on the Ultimate Powers," her Digimon replied. 

Muertamon howled in pain as the Electroshocker smacked him in the face, temporarily blinding him. "You'll pay for this, Digi-Destined!" he shrieked. He opened Nebulamon's wings wide. "**Intensification!**"

"What's that do?" Matt demanded.

Izzy's confidence slowly began to wear off as Muertamon's latest attack came into effect.

Suddenly there wasn't one Muertamon.

There were a dozen.

Gennai walked down the familiar corridor. It had been nearly a thousand years since he had last been inside of it. At the end of the corridor, two statues stood. 

"Hello, my friend," Gennai said to the first statue. "It's been awhile. I would've come sooner, but I've had my hands full. This latest team of Digi-Destined has needed a lot of help."

A cool breeze moved through the room.

"I agree," Gennai said. "Even though they've needed much help, they have a bond with their Digimon that I've rarely seen before. Certainly more of a bond than Makoto and the others had with their partners.

"Anyway, I just came by to tell you that I might not be around for awhile. I'm on my way to meet with Centaurumon about a prophecy he uncovered in his temple. I have faith that the Digi-Destined will be able to stop Muertamon's dark plan with the Ultimate Powers, but I fear what they will have to face next."

Gennai looked at the two statues before him and felt the breeze slow. "Dakota, my friend, it seems your fears were right. I'm beginning to believe that you might be right about the Three-Who-Are-One."

He gently touched the stone skin of the tiger and pegasus in front of him. "Kindness and Destiny," Gennai murmured sadly. "The day will come when you will be needed again.

"I fear that day."

"How many attacks does this creep have?" demanded Tai, staring at the multiple Nebulamon/Muertamons. 

"It depends on which body he's in," replied Volcanmon. "And it depends on what level he's at."

Matt clutched his weapon tightly and sized up the situation. There were twelve Muertamons, each of them surrounding them in the air. Izzy stood defiantly before them, but even he wouldn't be able to hold up against numerous attacks. Not many of them had weapons that could pierce enemies in the air. T.K., Sora, Mimi, and himself – that was it. T.K. didn't know how to use his power. Sora had never activated the Arrows of Love before. But he and Mimi had both used their own on several occasions. Matt started to raise the Boomerang . . . and stopped. 

He could still see the expressions on Batmon's face when his own weapons sliced through him. Could still hear his scream as he was deleted. Could still hear the sound of the Chakram slicing through Akane's chest as he knocked her away from Mimi. He, personally, had caused the death of two sentient beings. 

He couldn't do it again.

"Matt!" Tai shouted. "You and Mimi have to try and cut them down a little! I don't know if T.K. and Sora will be able to activate their weapons!" Obviously, the leader of the Digi-Destined had been having similar thoughts in regard to the weaponry. 

Matt bit his lip. _I can't_, he thought. _I can't, I can't, I can't. I can't handle this. I can't. _

"Yamato?" RogueDiamamon looked at his partner. "Yamato, Taichi and the others are counting on you. Yamato, are you listening to me? Yamato!" 

__

I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't.

Sora stared hard at Matt. "That . . . oh no. Joe!" 

Joe had seen it. The cloak of darkness that had tortured both Sora and Matt prior to the battle with Piedmon was back, snaking its way around Matt's body. Whatever Matt was thinking about, he had to snap out of it! 

__

I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't . . .

Yamato, snap out of it!

Matt looked up at the unexpected voice. He, physically, hadn't heard anything, but all the same it had been there. In his head . . . 

__

It's me, Yamato. Mamoru. Remember me?

Yes, Matt remembered. 

__

You need to focus right now. Your friends need you. You're letting your doubts dominate when you should be focusing on fighting. Are you listening to me, Yamato? Koushiro released the Ultimate Powers of Knowledge. You're going to have to do the same. Everyone is counting on you. 

I know you feel bad about killing Akane and Batmon, but can't you see that you didn't have a choice? They would've certainly destroyed you if you hadn't. 

If you aren't going to face this, then you're going to end up killing your best friends as well. Because not _doing anything will certainly lead to their deaths._

Matt blinked at the truth. Mamoru was absolutely right. 

"Feeling uncertain?" mocked Muertamon, his voice coming from all around. "Do you need a reminder of just how powerful I am?"

Matt shook his head and held the Boomerang in front of him. "No, I already know how powerful you are." The Boomerang began to glow with power. 

Somewhere in the way back of Muertamon's mind, a feeling of fear began to creep in. It was the same feeling that he'd had just moments before Izzy had released the Ultimate Powers of Knowledge. 

"Matt, you're glowing," breathed his younger brother.

"Stay back, T.K.," Matt said, stepping away from the rest of the group and towards Izzy. "And stay out of the battle until you're needed. We can't fight this guy without the Ultimate Powers."

Mimi smiled, looking at him. His old confidence was back. This was the Matt she knew. "Come on, Matt," she whispered, clutching her Crest/Digivice. "You can do it. I know you can."

Kari gasped. "Tai, look! Mimi's glowing, too!" 

Volcanmon stared at RogueDiamamon and RoseSakuramon in disbelief. "Looks like the Ultimate Powers are coming in waves now."

Tsunamon nodded. "It won't be long now."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Matt said. He looked at Izzy, who nodded confidently. Then he looked at Mimi, who was moving to stand beside him. Taking a chance, he reached out and grasped her hand. 

The two Digi-Destined took a deep breath. "**Powers that be, I summon thee, Ultimate Friendship/Sincerity, I set you free!**" they shouted together. 

__

This, thought Muertamon right before Friendship and Sincerity were activated, _is not good._

"They look different than Izzy," Sora said. 

She was right. Where Izzy had more of a medieval outfit, Matt and Mimi's powers seemed to leaned towards the more modern aspect. Matt's blonde hair was now almost completely blue, with only his bangs staying his natural hair color. A black vest covered a blue silk shirt, and he kept his original blue jeans. His shoes had changed to a pair of black boots, and a small sapphire earring topped of the ensemble, as well as the symbol of Friendship just below his left eye. One other addition were two strange, metal shields, one wore on each arm. There didn't seem to be any use for them. 

Mimi's hair was mostly its original color, with flecks of green sparkling in it. A red rose on either side of her head, above each ear, kept her hair from falling in her eyes. She wore a loose green tanktop, and a white miniskirt trimmed with green. Green was a big color for her. She also wore boots, similar to Izzy's in the fact that they came up to her knees and stopped there. A green belt was cinched around her waist, and the Chakram hung from it as if it belonged there. 

"You brats are really beginning to get on my nerves," growled Muertamon, but his trembling voice betrayed his growing fear. He hadn't expected them to get the Ultimate Powers at all, much less this soon. This was ruining all of his plans! 

"Tai, you and the others need to get out of here," Matt said. "Go back to Gennai's and regroup. The three of us can hold him off long enough for you to escape."

Tai stared hard at Matt, but the other Digi-Destined just stared right back. Tai couldn't figure out what he was thinking. "Good luck," he finally managed before accepting Volcanmon's invitation for a ride. 

Matt nodded and held out his arms. The Boomerangs slid out of the shields and into his hands. He hooked them together to create one blade. 

"Let's refrain from using the actual Weapons for now," Izzy suggested, twirling the Staff. "Don't forget, we have other abilities now, too."

Mimi slid a stray strand of green hair behind her ear. "Okay."

"All together now," Matt commanded. "We have to give Tai and the others enough time to escape, which means keeping all twelve of these things occupied."

"I'm certain all but one of them is an illusion," Izzy said, "but I can't tell which is the real one. We'll have to attack them all."

"**Ice Wolf Claw!**" Matt shouted. 

"**North Wind!**" Mimi cried, the Chakram glowing.

"**Hornblaster!**" growled Izzy. 

The Staff, Boomerangs, and Chakram fired. 

"There!" Tai shouted, pointing down at the ground. "There's Gennai's house!"

Sure enough, the lake that Gennai had a house in the middle of was right below them. And the reason it was so easy to make sure that it was the right lake was the fact that the waters had parted, and the house was visible beneath them. And so was Gennai, who stood on his front lawn looking up at them expectantly.

"I was wondering if you'd come," he said as they all touched down. "My house isn't nearly big enough for the Digimon, so we'll have to stay out here. Don't worry – the waters won't cave in. I'd only just gotten here myself, in fact."

"Oh?" GoldenZudomon asked, intrigued. "And where were you before? The Temple?"

"No, I took a slight detour to visit some old friends," Gennai replied, staring hard at GoldenZudomon. The Mega Desti-Digimon seemed to get whatever point the former Digi-Destined was trying to make, and nodded slightly. "Now, where are Matt, Izzy, and Mimi?"

"Still fighting Muertamon," replied Sora. "He took over some Digimon named Nebulamon, and they managed to summon their Ultimate Powers. But we're not quite sure how they managed it."

"Each bearer of the powers has their own special key," replied Gennai. "I myself never managed to use the Powers of Kindness, but I know that that is because I was not destined for those powers. I did not have the right key."

"What's that mean?" T.K. asked. "Are you talking about one of the Keys that we used to make it possible to get the powers?"

"Good, you remembered that," Gennai said, nodding to the younger boy. "Yes, I am. The Key I'm referring to is the only aspect that changes – the Digimon. No matter how many Digi-Destined you have, they will all have a partner Digimon different from all the others. Makoto had Dracomon, Tai has Agumon. Kaede had Dragumon, Sora has Biyomon. Mamoru had Cobramon, Matt has Gabumon. You get the idea. My Desti-Digimon was Tigramon. Whoever becomes the new Digi-Destined of Kindness will, in all probability, have a new Digimon partner."

"Are you saying that there might be more Digi-Destined like us?" Kari asked excitedly. 

Gennai frowned. "I'm only saying it's a possibility in the future. There were ten Crests originally. However, we only planned for eight of them to be brought into the second team. So most likely, there will be a third team of Digi-Destined before the possibility of Kindness and Destiny returning will even become possible."

"Oh," the whole group said. 

"But cheer up," Gennai continued. "Now that we know it's possible for you all to get the Ultimate Powers, defeating Muertamon should be no problem. If the eight of you combine your powers, you'll certainly succeed. Of course, we'll need the other three here to make it work."

As if on queue, Izzy, Matt, and Mimi appeared out of nowhere. Matt and Mimi were basically fine, but Izzy looked exhausted. "Whoa, where'd you all come from?" Tai exclaimed.

Izzy struggled to draw in enough breath to talk, but instead sat down on the ground and just focused on not falling asleep. "Koushiro used Miragimon's Mirage Transportation attack, didn't he?" Galaxiamon deduced.

Matt nodded and replaced the Boomerangs back in their holders. "He left an image of the three of us fighting Muertamon back there, but that creep'll figure out what happened soon enough."

"Basically . . . it was just . . . an extension . . . of what he . . . did," Izzy struggled to say. "There . . . weren't . . . really a . . . dozen of him. Most . . . were just . . . illusions. The tough . . . part was . . . figuring . . . out which . . . was real."

"We didn't stick around to actually do that," Mimi replied. "Are you okay, Gennai? You're not sick, are you?"

Gennai was staring at the three arrivals. "So _this_ is what the Ultimate Powers do," he whispered. 

"Pretty neat, huh?" Matt asked, raking a hand through his blonde bangs. "New outfit and everything."

"You mean you haven't realized?" Gennai asked, stunned.

"Realized what?" Digi-Destined and Desti-Digimon alike asked.

"The Ultimate Powers don't just make it possible for the Digi-Destined to become more powerful," Gennai said. "It's the reason Miragimon, RogueDiamamon, and RoseSakuramon disappeared. The three of you Destiny-Digivolved with the three of them. You've digivolved to a higher level than Mega, and have essentially _become_ Digimon. A hybrid of sorts."

Matt, Mimi, and Izzy were suddenly as stunned as Gennai. And Izzy, being Izzy, put together the pieces quicker than the others. "So that would account for our changes in appearance," he murmured, "and the reason why we can use our Digimon's attacks. But if we assume that we have digivolved to a level higher than Mega, we ourselves must have our own special attacks. Right?"

Gennai nodded. "Right."

Tai sat down on the floor, hard. Very, very hard. "Amazing," he whispered. "If the rest of us manage to unlock our powers, we'll be unstoppable. Muertamon won't stand a chance!"

"I have a feeling that with each showdown you have with Muertamon, at least one more power will be released," answered Gennai. "That's just wishful thinking, of course, but it makes some sense. As each battle goes by, assuming you win each one, the need for more power will be greater, and the rest of the powers will fall in place. So you'll have to face Muertamon at least once more before the powers of Courage, Love, Hope, Light and Reliability surface."

The Digi-Destined started talking about the possibilities this new revelation brought. 

Gennai was completely lost in his thoughts.

__

If they have indeed digivolved_, then that would place them on the same level as the Triumvirate, the Three-Who-Are-One. Is this what you were trying to tell me all those years ago, Dakota? Did you know?_

Does this mean that Muertamon will not be the end for these kids? 

__

"Not another dream," _groaned Tai as he looked around the fogged landscape that surrounded him. A brilliant orange light pulsated in the distance, but it neither grew larger nor smaller, no matter how many times Tai tried to walk towards it. "What is it now?"_

The fog began to clear, and once again, he found himself staring at a group of kids, some familiar, others unfamiliar. There were also a small group of Digimon with them. 

"I don't know," one of the two girls was saying. "I mean, can we trust this boy?"

"Gennai seems to think he's okay," said one of the boys, wearing what looked like Tai's goggles. He held a squirming blue in-training Digimon in his arms. "Demiveemon, cut it out. You're being a pest."

Demiveemon pouted and tried to reach for the boy's lunch again. "I'm hungry, Davis!" he protested.

"Well, cut it out anyway," snapped Davis. "I haven't eaten a thing yet." Suddenly he frowned and looked at another boy. "Something wrong, Ken?"

Ken looked up, his straight-as-a-board violet hair falling into his eyes slightly. A small green in-training Digimon sat in his lap. The Digimon looked at him. "Are you okay?" it asked.

"I'm fine, Minomon," Ken said to the Digimon. "I'm just a little confused. What did Dakota mean when he said that Kindness was the key to unlocking Destiny? I know he was referring to my Crest, but beyond that, it doesn't make sense." He looked down at a small magenta crest that lay in the palm of his hand. "I just don't get any of this."

"Well, one thing's certain," a younger boy said. "We're going to have to fight." He looked at the last two members of the group. "T.K.? Kari? According to Dakota, you've been through all of this before. What do you think?"

Kari and T.K. – both older than they were presently, Tai noted – looked as confused as Ken did. "That's the weird thing, Cody," T.K. said. "Neither of us have a clue as to what Dakota's talking about."

"We don't remember anything about Desti-Digimon, Destiny Weapons, or Ultimate Powers," Kari added. "It's familiar . . . but I can't grasp anything. Not a single memory is surfacing."

Once again, Tai woke up just as the dream was beginning to get interesting. "This is beginning to get really annoying," he muttered. He debated telling Gennai about the dreams, then decided against it. There was no use in advertising the possibility that he might be losing his mind. 

Faintly, he heard the sound of an explosion. Rolling over onto his side, he started to go back to sleep.

Explosion?

"Wake up, everyone!" he shouted, sitting bolt upright and screaming in Volcanmon's ear. "Muertamon's here!" 

Muertamon, still wearing Nebulamon's form, stare down at Gennai's home in triumph. Had the house been covered by the lake, he never would've found it. This was indeed his lucky day.

"This is going to be so easy," he murmured. "Just a quick blast, and they won't even have time to erect to lousy shields of theirs." He drew in a deep breath and got ready to fire the Star Scream Super Nova.

A blast of white-hot pain shot through his lungs. Muertamon roared, then choked, coughing and sputtering in surprise. "What was that?!"

__

You're running out of time, Muertamon, a voice taunted inside his head. _This body won't last forever, you know._

"Nebulamon," hissed Muertamon as he overcame the choking fit and started to breath again. "Resisting me will do you no good. What has this little demonstration proved?"

__

It has proven that my body has begun to resist you, and will soon useless. And it have given the children time to get their defenses up. 

Muertamon turned to stare down at the house. The Desti-Digimon were suddenly wide awake, as were the children. The three who were Ultimate already had their weapons out, and the other five were reaching for them. 

__

You will NOT use one of the Sacred Dragons as your toy, Muertamon!

"You think Azulamon and MagnaDramon will help you, you fool?"

__

They're closer than you think.

Muertamon clamped down on Nebulamon's mind and drew in a deep breath. "**Star Scream Super Nova!**"

"**Fire Shield!**" roared Volcanmon. The Star Scream Super Nova slammed into it straight up, and was deflected easily. "That must've been a pretty weak Super Nova," he muttered. 

"Don't use up all your strength on the shield," Tai ordered. He lifted the Sword of Courage and glared at Muertamon. "We have to think about this one, guys. Randomly attacking isn't going to work on this guy.

Sora removed an arrow from her quiver and strung it on the bow. "What do you think we should do, Tai?"

Tai looked at Mimi, Matt, and Izzy. "How are you three doing? Still tired after the last fight?"

"Not really," Izzy replied. "I believe I can handle another battle." Matt and Mimi echoed his reply. 

Tai nodded. "Okay, here's the deal. Listen closely. Mimi, Matt, and Izzy will attack Muertamon full on with their powers from the ground. Joe, you and Sora are on defense. Have GoldenZudomon and Tsunamon erect their shields and make sure none of the Muertamon's attacks get through. T.K., Kari – you two stay right here, at the house. You'll be our last-minute defense if it gets that bad. Volcanmon and I will take air attack on Muertamon, since I'm the only other one who's been able to use my Weapon. Got that?"

"Tai, you shouldn't be the only one on air defense," argued Matt. 

"And which of you three can fly?" snapped Tai.

No answer.

"I thought so," he sighed. "Look, this is the best I can come up with. And we don't have much more time before Muertamon attacks again." He hoisted himself onto Volcanmon's back, with a little help from the huge Digimon. "Now, if their are no further objections . . . let's go!" He grinned at Matt, who rolled his eyes and turned towards Muertamon in response. 

"**Water Shield!**" 

"**Wind Shield!**" 

Joe and Sora both stood beside their Digimon, their weapons held ready but practically useless. "We've got you guys covered," Joe said. "And it looks like he's going to attack again. Go!"

"**Star Scream Super Nova!**"

"**Ice Wolf Claw!**" Matt released his Boomerangs, sending the glowing blades straight at the Star Scream Super Nova, and sliced it in half. "Mimi!"

"**Flower Cannon!**" The Chakram flew through the split Nova and cut into Muertamon's right leg, nearly severing it from its main body. Muertamon howled with pain and twisted around in mid-air, trying to get the circular blade out of his leg. 

"Go, Volcanmon!" shouted Tai as the two sped towards the Dragon impostor. 

"**Magma Explosion!**" screamed Volcanmon, releasing a powerful blast of molten lava right on top of Muertamon. 

"Nice!" Matt shouted up. "Hey, Izzy, you ever going to get into this?"

Izzy wasn't even paying attention. _Something isn't right about this_, he thought, his brain whirring. _Muertamon's acting too slow; he's being beaten too easily. He's being beaten by only four of us, but in the past it's always taken the entire team and more. What's going on here?_

Muertamon seemed to decide that that moment was the time to explain. He twisted around in mid-air once again, belly-up and facing Volcanmon. "**Star Scream Super Nova!**" he roared. 

"No!" Izzy shouted. "Tai, look out!" 

Only about ten feet separated the two Dragon Digimon. Even if Volcanmon was able to get his shield up, the force of the attack would still be enough to injure, if not destroy, him. Volcanmon, rather than try to defend, flapped his wings hard to try and get some air time.

Muertamon released his attack. 

"**Powers that be, I summon thee, Ultimate Love, I set you free!" **cried Sora unexpectedly. There was a burst of bright light from her Crest, which traveled immediately to her weapon. Sora raised the bow and pointed the arrow directly at the point just before the Nova would hit Volcanmon. "**Wing Blade!**" she shouted, releasing the arrow.

The tiny missile cut through the air and slammed dead-on with the Nova. It sliced into the attack halfway, then exploded with its own power. The force of the explosion threw both Volcanmon and Muertamon back, but Volcamon was able to regain his balance and land easily on the ground. Muertamon was not so fortunate, and ended up slamming into the ground. 

"Tai, are you okay?!" Matt shouted. 

Tai waved from atop Volcanmon. "We're fine! But what happened?"

"Taichi, look," Volcanmon said, his voice quivering. "It's . . . Sora."

Tai looked in the direction he was indicating, and froze. "Sora?"

She stood there, looking at him calmly. Her hair had darkened several shades to become pure red, as red as her Crest, whose mark was visible on her temple. She wore a plain red dress which came down to her knees, and a pair of red shoes, similar to Mimi's but only a high as her ankles. More like ballet slippers, Tai thought. Strapped to her back was a quiver of arrows, and the bow was held in her hand. The Crest/Digivice was embedded in a small crystal heart, which hung from a chain around her neck. 

"That's definitely Sora, all right," Tai whispered. "Wow."

"Quite a difference from her normal appearance, wouldn't you say?" Volcanmon whispered back, equally stunned. 

Sora smiled. "If you boys don't put your eyes back into your heads, you're going to have one heck of a time fighting Muertamon once he gets back on his feet."

Tai blushed. "Uh, yeah. Whatever. Thanks for helping back there, Sora."

"Can we knock off the pleasantries for a while?" demanded Matt. "Muertamon isn't finished with us!"

The Digi-Destined turned to stare at the Mega Digimon. "He seems a little shaky," Mimi said as Muertamon stumbled slightly as he climbed to his feet. "Something's wrong with him."

"I don't care if he's in perfect health or not," snapped Tai, "he's still too dangerous for us to deal with on our own. Remember what Gennai said about the Ultimate Powers. Joe, T.K., Kari and I still don't have them, and we probably won't get them right now. We have to get out of here before Muertamon can pull off another --"

"**Star Scream Super Nova!**"

"**Air Shield!**" shouted GoldenZudomon. 

"**Fire Shield!**" roared Volcanmon, combining his shield with GoldenZudomon's to create an even stronger and larger protection barrier. 

The attack sailed towards the barrier and slammed into it, but didn't vanish. "The shields aren't working!" gasped Izzy.

"**Light Shield!**"

"**Desert Shield!**" 

Tai looked over his shoulder to see Galaxiamon and SeraphMezzomon adding their own power to the barrier, but it still wasn't enough. For some reason the Super Nova was stronger than ever, and their shields were failing. 

Or maybe it wasn't the Nova that was stronger. Maybe it was the Desti-Digimon that were weaker . . . 

"Izzy!" Tai shouted. "Do you think that when you, Matt, Mimi, and Sora combined with your Digimon, it somehow weakened the powers of the other four? We've noticed that the Desti-Digimon seem to share power with one another. Volcanmon with Tsunamon, RogueDiamamon with RoseSakuramon, and so on and so on."

Izzy's eyes widened. "Galaxiamon and SeraphMezzomon are at full strength, but GoldenZudomon and Volcanmon aren't. That could explain it, Tai!"

"Great," said Matt, "but how does this help us with protecting ourselves?"

Izzy spun around and looked at T.K, who was standing with Kari behind their Digimon. "T.K., I know you're not sure how to do this, but you have to try. We know from Shigeru that the Magic of Hope can create a big enough barrier to stop that thing. You _have_ to do this."

T.K. shook his head. "No!" he protested. "I can't! I don't know how! I'll just be putting all of you in danger!"

Matt walked over to his brother and knelt down in front of him. "T.K., listen to me," he said softly. "Izzy's right. You're our only hope right now. Your weapon can stop that attack and give us the chance to escape and regroup. The Digimon are failing. You have to call your Ultimate Power."

"But Matt . . ."

Matt shook his head. "Just do it, T.K. Please? For me?"

T.K. stared at the ground.

"Okay, then, if not for me, then for all the people who'll die if you don't. Not just all of us, but the entire Digital World, and possibly the real world as well. Do you want that to happen, Takeru Takaishi?"

T.K. looked up at his brother. "No," he said softly. "But I don't know if I can do it."

"You won't know for sure unless you try," Kari spoke up. "Please, T.K.? Try?"

T.K. drew in a deep breath. "How did that thing go again?" he asked Matt.

Matt smiled. " 'Powers that Be, I summon thee . . ."

"Yeah." The Child of Hope looked at SeraphMezzomon. "Ready?"

"Always."

He took a deep breath. "**Powers that Be, I summon thee, Ultimate Powers, you've been set free!**"

The change in the command startled everyone, especially T.K.

And then the Digi-Destined of Hope, Light, Courage, and Reliability began to glow.

__

It can't be possible, thought Muertamon. _How can one small boy be able to unleash the remaining Ultimate Powers all at once? This _can't_ be possible!_

The boy in question no longer looked so small. Like the others, while his physical body was still his true age, his attitude and mannerisms made him seem much older. T.K. was the only one who's hair didn't change completely, although it did shimmer slightly in the sunlight. His clothes also hadn't changed much, except in color – but he did lose the hat. On his hands, the gloves that held the Magic of Hope fit like a second skin. The golden symbol of Hope glowed just beneath his left eye. The biggest change, however, was the pair of gold and white wings that had grown from his back. 

Kari's hair was now entirely pink, and she shared similar wings to T.K's, only they were pink and white. Again, her outfit had stayed the same and just changed color, and again, she seemed older than her eight years. The Whip of Light was wrapped securely around her arm, and she held the end in her hand. 

Joe's hair had flecks of silver in it, and wore, like Izzy, a medieval sort of outfit. Tunic, chainmail, boots (not quite as high as Izzy's), and black pants made the ensemble complete. The Scythe of Reliability was strapped to his back, and he removed it and opened the blade so that it was fully extended. 

Tai stood at the head of the group, his brown hair turned auburn by the mixture of orange within it. He wore a pair of black and orange sneakers with orange pants and a black and orange shirt. Hanging from his neck was a black cloak lined with orange. Metal armbands covered his upper arms, and a scabbard was strapped to his side, the Sword of Courage in his hand. From his neck he wore a gold chain, and on the end was his Crest/Digivice, encased in a fiery crystal star. 

Muertamon suddenly felt very small. Inside his mind, Nebulamon smirked. _Still think you can defeat them so easily?_

The eight Digi-Destined faced off against Muertamon, each looking extremely determined. Unconsciously, they had split off into four pairs: Courage and Love, Sincerity and Friendship, Hope and Light, and Reliability and Knowledge. Their Crests gleamed, as did their weapons. 

Tai held his sword easily, almost as if it were part of his body. Beside him, Sora had her bow strung and pulled taut, ready to fire at a moments notice. 

"Muertamon," Tai shouted, "you have one more chance. Surrender, return to the monolith, and never bother the Digital World again. Or fight us and lose."

Muertamon smirked at them, but some of his attitude had been drained. "Awfully confident, aren't you?" he snarled. "**Star Scream Super Nova!**"

"How did I know he was going to do that?" muttered Sora. "**Wing Blade!**"

"**Terra Force!**"

"**Ice Wolf Claw!**"

"**Flower Cannon!**"

"**Vulcan's Hammer!**"

"**Hornblaster!**"

"**Hand of Fate!**"

"**Heaven's Charm!**"

Eight attacks went off simultaneously, four of them neutralizing the Super Nova, four of them slamming into Muertamon. He screamed in pain as the Ice Wolf Claw, Terra Force, Hornblaster, and Hand of Fate tore into his borrowed body. _Damn these kids! That's it! I'm through playing games!_ He twisted out of their line of fire, folded back his wings, and dove straight for them. His talons were outstretched, and he roared at the top of his lungs. 

"Get down!" Matt shouted. He threw himself to the ground and covered his head as Muertamon shot over them, his talons barely missing. 

Kari rolled over immediately and snapped her whip. The end wrapped around Muertamon's outstretched tail. "**Supreme Dawn!**" she cried. The power from Majestimon's attack shot through the whip and into the tail. Muertamon twisted sharply, wrenching the weapon out of Kari's hand. Kari cried out in pain as the rough leather burned her hands as it was torn from her grasp. She clutched her palm and bit her lip.

"Kari!" T.K. was up and next to her. "Let me see." He took her hand gently and closed his eyes. The pain immediately disappeared and the scratches from the whip faded as well. "Better?"

Kari nodded. "He's got my whip," she said, pointing. Muertamon had regained his position in the sky, and was now determined to make another pass at them. "I can't use my attacks without my whip."

"He's going to make another dive!" Joe shouted. 

"Get ready, everyone!" Tai ordered. "Try firing your weapons as he dives. Maybe we'll have more luck if we're closer to him."

Mimi wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt. "I'm so nervous, I don't know if I can hold onto the chakram." 

Izzy clenched his staff. "Just do your best, Mimi."

Muertamon dove. And as he dove, he opened his mouth. "**Imperial Flames!**" he roared, releasing, strangely enough, another attack. Of course – Nebulamon was a Mega with many attack possibilities. The Imperial Flames was a lot more accurate than the Star Scream Super Nova at a smaller distance. 

Sora gasped. "**Water Shield!**" she commanded. The Flames hit the wall of water and steamed came from them as they were destroyed. 

The shield, however, refused to keep Muertamon at bay. Sora stood, frozen, as the hulking mass of the evil Digimon raced towards her. 

"No!" Kari shouted. Her Crest/Digivice started to glow. "**Stars of Light!**" 

Muertamon looked triumphantly at Sora as he prepared to tear into her with his talons.

Then a huge blast of light caught him in the side, throwing him off course about twenty feet. He hit the ground, bounced, then hit the ground again and rolled. 

He looked up to see Kari staring at him, wide-eyed. And then, suddenly, he felt what he had been dreading. 

His stolen body was starting to reject him. 

All he could do was stare at the girl as her crest shone brightly. And then, slowly and one-by-one, the other seven joined in. Inwardly, Nebulamon, too, was fighting him. That damned Ancient Digimon didn't know when he was defeated. Even if Muertamon left his body, he'd still die. 

"Look," murmured Izzy as he watched the purple light envelop him. "Something's happening to Muertamon."

Sure enough, he seemed to be flickering. They could see his true form flashing on and off over the form he had stolen. He shivered in pain as it ripped through him. 

*_Listen to me, Digi-Destined,_* a strange voice said in their heads. *_I have lived many years, and I have waited to die for just as long. I know of the legend of the Ultimate Powers. And I know Muertamon's weakness – it lies in the point when rejection begins. The minute he leaves my body, he will return to his monolith. He will not take the risk of dying within me. You must destroy this body before he leaves. Use your final attacks. Your weapons and your Digimon cannot help you now._*

"Nebulamon," Tai said. He took a deep breath. "Put away your weapons," he commanded. He felt the power of the Crest of Light flow through him, and the Crest of Courage grew stronger. 

*_Do it now, Digi-Destined!_*

"You heard him," Taichi Kamiya, for that was his true name, shouted. "**Fires of Courage!**"

__

Here I'm standing in the night

My crescent wand the only light

Sora Takenouchi watched as he released his attack, and felt the Crest of Love respond. _Please let this work_. "**Waters of Love!**"

__

Alone against my darkest fear

But I sense my friends are near

Yamato Ishida closed his eyes and silently thanked the higher powers for giving him a chance to find himself, and find his friends. "**Poison of Friendship!**" 

__

I'll draw from each the power I need

The evil queen we will defeat

Takeru Takaishi could feel Mezzomon and Patamon's spirits within him, and this time he wasn't afraid that he was going to lose his partners. He looked at Hikari Kamiya and nodded, smiling. "**Sands of Hope!**"

"**Stars of Light!**"

__

Give me the strength to carry on

With all our love we can't go wrong

Jyou Kido was no longer afraid. He wasn't worried, he wasn't afraid, and he definitely didn't feel like complaining. All he could focus on was defeating Muertamon. "**Winds of Reliability!**"

__

Only together we face the fight

Nothing can stand against our might

Mimi Tachikawa vowed to herself that if this worked, if they could stop Muertamon and the Digital World, she would never act like the spoiled brat she had once been. She had finally grown up. "**Icicles of Sincerity!**"

__

Give me the strength to carry on

With all our love we can't go wrong

Koushiro Izumi watched with satisfaction as his friends joined their powers together and focused on a common goal. It was time to put an end to this. "**Illusions of Knowledge!**"

__

Only together we face the fight

Nothing can stand against our might

The final power joined the other seven, and slammed into Muertamon's body. Muertamon screamed in pain as he felt the Ultimate Powers tearing through him, pulling his soul away from Nebulamon's. He pleaded silently for the Triumvirite to intervene, to save him from this death. But they had never intervened, not when Devimon had been destroyed by Angemon, or Myotismon by WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. Not even when Piedmon had been defeated by MagnaAngemon. The Triumvirite had one rule: no mistakes. And Muertamon had made his. 

__

Will all our strength the battle's won

With all our love we can't go wrong

The Digi-Destined watched as Muertamon was yanked out of Nebulamon. For a second, he seemed to just hang there in the air. Then he disintegrated, as the other evil Digimon in the past had. 

__

We have the strength to carry on

"I hope it's a long time before he reborn," Hikari said. 

Another movement caused them all to fall silent. The huge form of Nebulamon was slowly pulling itself to its feet. The Ancient Dragon turned to look at the Digi-Destined. "I thank you," he said, his voice soft and comforting. "You have finally succeeded where I and the original Digi-Destined could not."

"Who are you?" Koushiro asked.

Nebulamon managed to move a few steps forward, then collapsed. "I am Nebulamon, an Ancient Digimon. I am also the Keeper of the Ultimate Powers. While I was imprisoned, it was impossible for the Powers to be called. But when Muertamon reanimated me, I was able to, slowly, allow to you call upon them. I knew that you were the ones from the very beginning, and you did not disappoint me."

"Are you okay?" Sora asked with concern as she noticed that he was shaking.

"I am dying," Nebulamon said matter-of-factly. "But the Ultimate Powers now live on inside of the eight of you. There are two other Powers as well, but I am not their keeper. I do not hold the Destiny and Kindness."

Jyou frowned. "If the Powers are ours now, does that mean that the Desti-Digimon and our partner Digimon are also inside us? They won't be able to come back?"

Nebulamon chuckled, although the effort hurt. "No. They can comeback. The minute you denounce your powers, they will return. The Desti-Digimon are now fused with your own Digimon, however. Which means that Agumon and the rest will be able to reach their Destiny Digivolve levels again someday. Think of it as a Mega-Ultimate level. And trust me. You'll need it in the future.

"There's one more thing. You're battle here in the Digital World isn't over, my young friends. When you denounce your powers, time will move backward. While the Ultimate Powers will still be within you, you and your Digimon will remember nothing of this. You were not supposed to receive your powers at this point in your lives. You have many more battles to face, and you cannot rely on your new abilities. So you will remember nothing."

"Nothing?" Yamato glanced at Mimi. "We won't remember the Desti-Digimon, the Originals, Muertamon . . . what will happen to our Weapons? And our Crest/Digivices?"

"The Crests and Digivices will be separated once again," Nebulamon said. "You hold the virtues of the Crests within you – you won't need them to summon your powers anymore. And yes, you won't remember the others. The Weapons will return to the Sacred Places, waiting for the day when you can claim them. But today is not that day." Nebulamon closed his eyes, and the sword, the arrows and bow, the boomerangs, the chakram, the scythe, the staff, the gloves, and the whip rose into the air. Then they disappeared. 

"Your next enemy will be powerful," Nebulamon said, "but there is worse along the way. Good luck, Digi-Destined." 

And the Keeper of the Ultimate Powers finally died. 

An hour later, the Digi-Destined were still in the same spot, still in their new forms. "What do we do now?" Sora asked.

Taichi sighed. "I think we should do what Nebulamon said. Denounce our powers."

Yamato, who was holding Mimi's hand, stared at him. "But then we'll forget everything that happened here!" He felt Mimi's grip on his hand tighten. 

"I know," Taichi said, nodding. "But Yamato, you heard what Nebulamon said. This isn't the way things are supposed to be. There must be a reason why we can't fight this next enemy without the Ultimate Powers." He sighed. "I wish Gennai were here to give us a hint, but I think we're on our own in deciding."

Koushiro nodded. "I get the feeling that we were supposed to fight this other enemy awhile ago. And by us getting caught up in Muertamon's plans, we missed our battle. Therefore, he won, and perhaps he's already affecting the Digital World to a point of destruction."

"So we have to denounce our powers to go back to the point in time when we can defeat this guy and stop him from screwing up the Digital World, and possibly the real world," Mimi said. 

"Plus, it's the only way to bring our Digimon back," Takeru said. 

They all looked at each other. "Let's do it," Taichi said. He stood up. "It's been fun, you guys."

"Likewise," Yamato said, nodding. "I wonder how far back we'll have to go."

"I guess we'll find out in a minute," Sora said. "Not that any of us will know."

Taichi nodded, and closed his eyes. He focused on separating the Crest from the Digivice, on separating his soul from Agumon's and Dracomon's. As he did so, he thought back to everything that had happened in the past weeks. On the Temple, on Dracomon, on Sora, on Makoto, on . . . 

Nothing.

Gennai watched as the trolley car disappeared. _Those kids are truly amazing_, he thought. _The time will soon come when will know the truth. _

A cool breeze drifted around him. Gennai nodded. "Yes. And the time will also come when the Ultimate Powers will be needed again. We have a lot to do, Dakota." 


	11. Author's Notes

Digi-Destiny Author's Notes ****

Digi-Destiny Author's Notes

Anybody want a sequel?

When I first wrote this story, I hadn't seen the battle with Apocolymon. I didn't even know it existed, actually. :: looks chagrined :: Well, I finally got around to seeing it, but unfortunately, by that time I was already well into my Digi-Destiny story. And I couldn't very well go back and rewrite everything, could I?

This also explains my tendencies towards Mimato and Taiora. 

You will notice that towards the end I left a lot of unanswered questions. Who are the Triumvarite? Why did Tai have those strange dreams involving the Season Two cast? What is Gennai planning? And, of course, the memory loss thing. 

All that was done to set up a possible sequel. Which I won't write unless people want me to. 

I really, really want to write one. 


End file.
